POTKM Volume 4: The Sign Of The Sacred Heart
by AndrewK9000
Summary: Sora and the gang finally go to Hogwarts, while behind their backs, their friends in The Realms of Light plan a grand meeting. While at Hogwarts, our heroes find themselves involved in a mystery that goes back to the time of The Four Founders. A strange symbol is the center of a conspiracy that could result in the destruction of all life on the world. Who will survive?
1. Chapter 1: Arrival at Hogwarts

Greetings fellow readers and writers! This is my fourth volume of Path of the Keyblade Master and I hope you like it! And if you're reading this, we're all alive past December 21, 2012! So here's to another Mayan Long Count cycle, a very merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year!

Okay, this volume has Sora and the gang finally traveling to Hogwarts to learn more about magic. This story takes place in the Harry Potter universe about a year or so after the epilog of Deathly Hallows, making it the second year for Albus Severus Potter, Rose Weasley and Scorpio Malfoy. Also in this story are some of my Rambler characters and a few new Meta Humans, as well as some wizards I came up with.

Now, it should be known that I had this story planned for volume 6, but it worked better for me to do it now.

Also, some of my fellow writers have asked me that, since I've just finished a Super Sentai crossover, why not do another and have The Keyblade Wielders learn magic from the Magirangers? Or even Kamen Rider Wizard.

Well, I do have ideas for further stories involving Super Sentai, including Mahou Sentai Magiranger, as well as ideas for the various Kamen Rider series, especially W, OOO and Fourze, but not for this story. As for Wizard, it's still too soon in the series for me to have any really good ideas for a story.

The idea I had involved crossing with Harry Potter and that's how it's going to be. I will do further work with Super Sentai, and Kamen Rider too, but not now. I'm sorry if this upsets and disappoints some people, and of course there'll be some whom simply dislike my writings for various reasons, some because they just don't like it, others simply for the sake of hating. Well, you have that right, but if you don't like my stories then don't read them and don't clutter up my review pages with negative comments. Still don't like it, well, just remember that THIS IS FANFICTION!

Now, I don't own in this story except for my original characters, so please don't sue me, I'm just trying to tell a good story and expand on the magic and adventure that is Harry Potter and Kingdom Hearts.

And now, without further delay, please enjoy…

**Kingdom Hearts: Path of the Keyblade Master**

**Volume 4: The Sign of the Sacred Heart**

**Chapter 1: Arrival at Hogwarts**

…**Radiant Garden…**

_Dear Malcolm,_

_Ah am well, as are mah mother, father and brothers. Now that that mass of evil has been absorbed back into the world, things are more harmonious among DunBroch, Macintosh, Dingwall and MacGuffin, albeit more boring than before. As for the old witch and her husband, no one has seen hide, hare or feather of them, doing who knows what. And considering that Ah accidentally destroyed her house, ah'm not surprised that the witch doesn't want to talk to me._

_But ah'm not worried too much. Ah'm fine and so is everyone here. Ah'm so glad that ye and yer friends won against that horrible trickster and his horrible master. Give mah best to Riku and Tess._

_Ye won't believe what mah brothers have been up to. Hamish, Hubert and Harris got hold of the stone bust of mum that dad was making for her birthday and 'altered' it. Mum actually thought it was funny but dad was furious. He threatened to lock the boys up in the dungeon for a week. But then Hubert showed that the changes to the bust were only clay, not stone. Mum's present was alright and dad forgave them._

_One rather unpleasant thing happened after ye left. Mah sword, the one ah used to stab one of the eyes of that giant drill monster, it's gone. Ah dinna' ne lose it, it just, well, fell apart. It was fine for a while, but then the gammy thing completely rusted through in the blink of an eye, no pun intended mind ye._

_Ah tried to talk to the old witch but she's nowhere to be found. Not really surprising since ah accidentally destroyed her home, long story. Me dad said he'd make me a new sword soon enough._

_Ah hope ye and yer friends are well and continue to be well. Ah also hope that when we meet next, we'll be able to have more time to get to know each other better._

_With much love and light,_

_Merida of DunBroch._

"Hey! Malcolm! You done with that yet?!" Sora called out to Malcolm.

"Huh?" Malcolm asked as he looked up from the enchanted writing desk that had just received Merida's letter, "oh, right, sorry." He then ran over to Sora and the others.

"They've already started rebuilding again," said Kairi as she, Sora, Riku, Aiden, Tess, Roxas, Naminé and Malcolm, outside Merlin's house with their bags packed. They saw that all the rubble from the recent giant monster battle had been removed from the streets and that the demolished and damaged buildings were currently being rebuilt.

One of the new buildings was an office for the new accountants, Joshua and Janice Baker, Tess's real parents, whom had been reunited with their daughter after nearly seventeen years. Alegra, they mysterious and immortal woman whom had dedicated her centuries-long life to the battle against evil, had helped our heroes and Super Sentai allies defeat the insidious Puppeteer whom had targeted Tess as his new host.

After the vile sorcerer had been destroyed, Alegra kept her promise of bringing Tess together with her birth parents, whom had been watching Tess from afar and have now settled on Radiant Garden with Tess' older brother and two sisters.

"It's a good thing we've got a really great disaster insurance," said Yuffie, "and contracts with construction companies. We should be back on our feet by the time you guys get back from Hogwarts."

"At the rate this world keeps being attacked, you'll have to upgrade your insurance policies," said Riku.

"Isn't there some way we can better protect Radiant Garden?" Aiden asked, "and how much longer is it going to be for Yen Sid and Merlin to finish working on copying The Cornerstone of Light?"

"They said they've still got years of work ahead of them," said Kairi, "but I agree, something needs to be done. This is still my world, though Earth is my home, I still have a connection to Radiant Garden. There's got to be a better way to keep the world safe."

"Whatever it is," said Tess, "it'll have to wait until we get back."

"Aren't you jumping the gun a bit?" Riku asked, "you just found your real mother and father, and now you're ready to leave them again. Are you sure you're okay with this? Are they okay with it?"

"They've been okay for a long time," said Tess, "Alegra kept them in the loop of my life since she took me from them, which I'm okay with now, but I'm still pissed that she had to dump me on Metamore. But that's something else. Anyway, thanks to Malcolm, he's provided me with one of those enchanted writing desks so I can send them regular letters wherever I am."

"Glad to he of help," said Malcolm as he held up his writing desk.

"I still don't like leaving Radiant Garden unprotected," said Kairi, "I know that Leon and the others will be here, but there's got to be something more that can be done."

"There is," said Ansem as he and King Mickey walked towards our heroes.

"Hiya guys!" said King Mickey, "so, you all ready to go to Hogwarts?"

"Ready, willing and able, your majesty!" said Sora, while Riku, Kairi and the others nodded in agreement.

"Swell," said The King, "now, I've made all the arrangements with Headmistress Minerva McGonagall. She has everything ready for you guys, so all we need to do is turn on the machine."

"I've recalibrated the portal projector," said Ansem as he brought over the machine, "it'll bring you all right to the nearby town of Hogsmeade near the school."

"Why can't we just go there directly?" Sora asked.

"Because teleporting to Hogwarts," said Malcolm, "or Apparating as it's known on that world, is impossible. The whole school and surrounding grounds are so full of magic it makes Apparating so unstable, it's not worth the risk."

"Risk what?" Kairi asked.

"Of splinching," said Malcolm, "it's when you teleport and accidentally leave a small part of yourself behind."

At that Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Roxas and Naminé all winced uncomfortably.

"How…did you know that?" Aiden asked.

"We have splinching in The Magical Dimension too," said Malcolm, "I never bothered to learn how to teleport, the idea of leaving an arm or a leg behind isn't rather appealing, know what I mean?"

"You don't have to tell me twice," aid Roxas.

"So, we'll be walking from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts," said Sora, "okay."

"Then there's nothing more to say," said Ansem as he powered up the machine.

"Except good luck!" said King Mickey, "and have fun."

"Will do, your majesty," said Riku.

"And if there's any trouble while we're gone," said Kairi, "just let us know and we'll come right back."

"It's alright," said King Mickey, "we'll be fine while you're gone."

"Are you sure?" Sora asked, "a lot of bad stuff keeps happening around here."

"And we always end up having to take care of the trouble," said Aiden.

"That's what being a Keyblade Wielder is all about," said Riku, "wherever we go, trouble is sure to follow."

"Let's hope that we don't bring any trouble with us to Hogwarts," said Kairi.

"Oh come on, Kairi," said Sora, "you'd think that just once, we'd have an adventure without getting involved in some insane crisis."

At that Kairi and the others looked at Sora like he just said something crazy and stupid, "Sora?" Kairi asked, "just think about our lives."

At that Sora did think about it, "oh, yeah, we do have that kind of luck."

"Just don't let it get to you, Sora," said King Mickey, "consider this a learning vacation. Just enjoy yourselves and have as much fun as you can while learning more about magic."

"We will, your majesty," said Sora, "but I'd feel better if I knew that things would be alright while we were gone."

"Things won't be so difficult while you're away, Sora," said Ansem, "I have a few plans to keep The Realms of Light safe, at least from outside threats."

"What do you have in mind?" Riku asked.

"Mostly theories and ideas," said Ansem, "but I do have one that may prove to be viable in the short term, assuming I can get it working, but that's for later. Just enjoy Hogwarts and all it has to offer."

"Will do," said Riku, while Sora and the others nodded in agreement.

With that, Ansem powered up the portal projector. The machine then opened a large portal.

"We'll be back in a few weeks or so," said Sora, "hold the fort until then!"

"Good luck, everyone!" said King Mickey, "and have a hot dog time!"

At that Sora gave The King the thumbs up and he walked into the portal, followed by Kairi, Riku, Tess, Aiden, Roxas, Naminé and Malcolm. The portal then closed up after them

"Okay, they're gone," said King Mickey in a serious tone. He then looked at Ansem and Yuffie, "you know what to do."

"I shall prepare the invitations and send them out to the other worlds," said Ansem.

"And I'll get the meeting hall set up," said Yuffie, "a big sit-down between all the heroes and Princesses of Heart; all our friends and allies in The Realms of Light and beyond. Awesome."

"This won't be a casual meeting, Yuffie," said Ansem, "this gathering, this Grand Conclave, may determine the future of The Realms of Light. We now know that Maleficent has found a new body, albeit a temporary one, and has joined forces with Xehanort; two of the most dangerous beings to walk the realms. Add to the various villains in their respective cabals, including Doctor Insano, and we have an enemy force capable of destroying all that we hold dear. And then there's the unknown factor of any future villains we may encounter."

"Which is why we need to get everyone together and decide what to do," said King Mickey, "all the heroes and the Princesses of Heart. We need a plan, and we also need to figure out what Xehanort and Maleficent are up to, what their endgame is."

"But why have the meeting while Sora or the others are gone?" Yuffie asked, "wouldn't they want to help?"

"Of course the will," said The King, "but this is something we have to do ourselves. We just can't rely on Sora and the others for everything. Besides, they deserve a break and a chance to advance in their training for The Mark of Mastery."

He then smiled reassuringly at Ansem and Yuffie, "it's okay, guys. Sora and the others will be back in a few weeks. By then we'll have had a chance to figure out what to do about Xehanort and Maleficent. What's the worse that can happen?"

"Don't say that!" exclaimed Yuffie, "every time someone asks 'what's the worst that can happen?' it usually does."

"Okay, sorry," said King Mickey, "but we still should hope for the best."

"And prepare for the worst," said Ansem, "which is why I'm pushing forward my plan…wait," he then pulled out his PDA and activated a program, "there, now Maleficent and Xehanort cannot spy on us, not as well as before that is."

"A jamming program," said Yuffie, "cool."

"Not as cool as my Planetary Shield program," said Ansem, "it won't be able to completely stop a Dark Corridor, yet, but it will be able to protect the world from physical invasions from space."

"It's a good start," said King Mickey, "but there's still more. We've got a lot of work ahead of us, for all of us, so we'd better get started."

Just then Pete lumbered in, "I hears that you've got a job for ol' Pete," said the reformed villain.

"Indeed I do, 'captain,'" said King Mickey, "it's a very special job, one only you are qualified to do, well, you and your family."

At that the oversized cat blinked in confusion, "what'd'ya mean my family?" he asked, "what'd'ya want with my wife and kids?"

"This job I need you to do, Pete," said King Mickey, "it's something that you, your wife Peg, your children, P.J. and Pistol, even your dog, Chainsaw, it'll be a group effort."

"And what's that then?" Pete asked suspiciously.

King Mickey made a 'come here' gesture with his finger. Pete bent down and The King whispered something into his ear. After a moment, The King stopped whispering and Pete bent up in surprise.

"You want me to do that?" he asked, "and you want the wife and kids involved too?"

"I wouldn't ask it of you and your family if I didn't think you could do it," said King Mickey, "so, will you do it?"

"Of course I'll do it!" said Pete in a boasting tone, "ain't no mission assigned that I can't do! And there ain't no way thu' wife and kids would want to be left out. So, when do we leave?"

"As soon as possible," said King Mickey, "just get your family together and go, and good luck."

"I don't need no luck," said Pete, "I wuz born lucky!" with that he lumbered out of the area.

"You think it's a good idea giving him a mission?" Yuffie asked, "he's not exactly trustworthy. He did spend all that time working with Maleficent."

"He's on our side now," said King Mickey, "and if this is going to work, we need everyone we can get to work together."

"I'm not doubting your choice of helpers in this endeavor," said Ansem, "but what could be so important and potentially dangerous as to involve Pete?"

"Something only he and his family can do," said King Mickey, "but I can't say yet. I'm sorry, but the fewer who know the better."

"But won't he blabber to the first person who asks?" Yuffie asked, "and his wife, Peg, I heard she's a notorious gossip, and their kids, who knows whom they'll tell."

"They won't talk," said King Mickey, he then gave a slight embarrassed smile, "I put a spell on Pete when he wasn't looking. Neither he or his family will tell anyone, at least until they get to where they're going, and no, I can't say where or what they'll be doing."

"Aren't we feeling mysterious today," said Yuffie.

* * *

"So this is Hogsmeade," said Riku as he and the others found themselves in the only all wizarding village on the world. It was late afternoon in mid October. A chill wind was blowing through the village.

"It's awesome," said Sora, "but I can't wait until we get to Hogwarts."

Just then a nearby tabby cat with square markings around its eyes walked up to Kairi. "Aww, hello there," she said as she bent down to scratch the cat behind the ears, "and what is your name?"

"Don't pet stray cats!" said Aiden, "you don't know where that thing's been!"

"Oh come on," said Kairi, "this little one is clearly domesticated, you can tell how familiar she is with people."

Just then the cat morphed into a tall woman in her late 60's or early 70's or so, but seemed much older yet still had an aura of vitality, with graying hair in a tight bun and wearing tartan robes and a wizarding hat with a long feather in it. She leaned on a walking stick and wore square glasses. She had the aura of a person whom was strict but fair-minded, one not to be crossed yet still compassionate.

"How right you are," said the woman in a Scottish accent.

"Professor McGonagall?" Riku asked.

"In the flesh," said Professor McGonagall, "welcome to Hogwarts, young Keyblade Wielders."

"We're glad to finally be here," said Sora. He and the others then introduced themselves to Professor McGonagall.

"So, what do we do now?" Sora asked.

"Now, we head up to the castle," said McGonagall, "a feast has been prepared in your honor."

"Oh, that's really not necessary," said Kairi in a modest tone.

"Nonsense," said McGonagall, "you young heroes helped save the life of one of Hogwart's best students, whom returned just in time to graduate at the top of her class with full honors."

"Victoire Weasley," said Tess, "how is she?"

"Doing well, last I heard," said McGonagall, "she and her new husband are currently on holiday in France."

"She and Teddy got married?" Naminé asked, "that's so sweet."

"They're perfect for each other," said Roxas.

"Makes you wonder what the other wizards we teamed up with are up to," said Riku, "Harry and the others."

"Harry Potter is on a well earned holiday with his family," said McGonagall, "as for the others, you'll soon be seeing Professors Longbottom, Connor and Johnson-Weasley. Now, the feast awaits."

With that Sora and the others followed McGonagall up a long path from the village towards the grand castle overlooking a lake. Along the way she informed our heroes of some of the rules of the school, as well as the names of the teachers and the subjects they taught, and the visiting Meta Humans from The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense.

"The Bureau and The Ministry of Magic set up an annual program where a handful of Meta Humans spend a year at Hogwarts to teach extra curricular courses," said Professor McGonagall, "you would be surprised how often witches and wizards find themselves against an opponent without use of their wands, especially in recent years."

"Wow!" said an impressed Sora as he and the others gazed in awe at Hogwarts for the first time.

"Is everyone this awestruck by Hogwarts?" Malcolm asked.

"Just about everyone," said McGonagall, "the effect is more pronounced for first year students."

She lead our heroes towards the front gates, into the courtyard and up a short flight steps to the entrance hall, where off to one side Sora and the others could see an area that had dozens of staircases going up several levels and off to other areas of the castle.

"Did that staircase just move?" Aiden asked.

"All the staircases here move," said McGonagall.

Sora and the others were then shown to the Great Hall, a huge room capable of holding a thousand people and more. The first thing they saw were the hundreds of floating candles illuminating the hall, while the ceiling above was enchanted to reflect the sky outside.

Our heroes then saw four long tables each sitting hundreds of students, with each table belonging to one of the four Houses; Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. At the far end of the hall was a table reserved for the staff. Currently only a handful of students were at their tables, but more and more were filtering in as the sky darkened to evening. The air was permeated with delicious cooking smells.

"Where do we sit?" Sora asked.

"There won't be a need for chairs for this feast," said McGonagall, "but let's wait until everyone is here."

It wasn't long before all the staff and students were in the hall, anxiously waiting for dinner. Not sure where to be for this, Sora and the others stood to one side of the hall, while McGonagall stood at a stone podium at the end of the hall in front of the staff table.

"If I may have everyone's attention," said McGonagall in voice that carried throughout the hall. Within seconds, all the chattering students had gone quiet and had given their headmistress their undivided attention.

"Tonight's feast is to welcome a group of brave young warriors whom helped save the life of one of Hogwart's finest," said McGonagall, "these young men and women have traversed many worlds, fought many foes and defeated the forces of darkness time and time again. And now, they've come to our illustrious school to sample the magical arts that are taught here. I expect you all to welcome them with open arms and open minds, to treat them not just as visitors, but as fellow students for the duration of their stay here at Hogwarts. And most of all, to welcome them as friends."

At that the students and staff clapped and cheered. Sora and the others noticed that, while those wearing the red and gold markings of Gryffindor house on their black robes clapped and cheered the loudest, most of the ones wearing the green and silver of Slytherin house, only gave cordial applauses, with only a few Slytherins looked at our heroes with anything more than standoffish eyes.

"And now," said McGonagall as she pulled out her wand, "if everyone would stand up, this special feast can begin." All the students got up from the tables as McGonagall waved her wand. The tables and benches vanished and were replaced by smaller round tables, each one loaded with different foods of all kinds.

"Sweet! A buffet feast!" said Roxas.

"Then let's mingle," said Kairi.

Our heroes began sampling the many dishes and found them all to their liking. They also began talking to the students, mostly just saying hello and making small talk.

But then they found three familiar faces among the staff. Neville Longbottom, Herbology professor, Angelina Johnson-Weasley, Transfiguration teacher and Cho Connor, whom taught History of Magic.

"It's good to see you blokes again," said Neville after he, Angelina and Cho met up with Sora and the others at a table full of various types of pastries.

"Good to see you too," said Riku, "you guys were awesome when we fought on The World that Never Was."

"But now it become Zumakalis again," said Cho, "how are they, the new Zumakali?"

"They're doing alright," said Kairi, "last we heard they were remaking their new home into some place wonderful."

"We'll get to see it some time," said Angelina, "but it's going to have to wait. So, you Keyblade Wielders are here to learn about our kind of magic."

"That's on the agenda," said Malcolm as he eyes a nearby group of Slytherins, whom had been suspiciously eyeing him, "Is everyone in greens here this…coarse?"

"Ah, Slytherins have a bit of a mean streak about them," said Neville, "but not all of them are as evil as Voldemort."

"A few are surprisingly decent people," said Cho.

"Name one," said Roxas as he came back from a dessert table with an ice cream bar, "can you believe it? They've got Sea Salt Ice Cream here!"

"Seriously?!" Sora asked eagerly. He then hurried over to the dessert table.

"I take it he's easily happy," said Angelina.

"You ain't kidding," said Kairi, "so, you were saying about decent Slytherins?"

"There's two over there," said Neville as he pointed to a table that was serving different fruits. Sampling some pineapple was a girl, about 14, with violet eyes and had long black hair with silver and green highlights. Next to here was a boy, about 15, with orange eyes and short brown hair. Both of them were wearing Slytherin green and silver.

"Cordelia Greenfield and Orion Caulfield," said Angelina, "two of Slytherin's finest, and two rather decent human beings."

"They're part of a small but growing group of Slytherins whom think that being Pure Blood doesn't make them superior than Muggle Born wizards," said Neville.

"What does that mean?" Sora asked as he came back over with several sticks of Sea Salt Ice Cream and shared them with Kairi and the others.

"There's two types of wizards," said Cho, "those whom come from all wizarding families whom can trace their lineage back almost to the dawn of recorded history. Then there are witches and wizards whom come from Muggle families. You already know that Muggles are non magic folk, just ordinary human beings."

"We still don't know why some wizards are born in Muggle families," said Neville, "anyway, most Pure Bloods still think that because they're from all wizard families, their blood makes them better than Muggle Born wizards."

"That's just plain stupid," said Tess.

"And illogical," said Malcolm, "magic is magic, regardless of whom your parents and ancestors are. The same applies to blood."

"There's a lot whom agree with you," said Cho, "but there's still many Pure Blood families whom hold on to the old prejudices, especially those families whom were supporters of He Whom Must…I mean, Voldemort."

"He's been dead for twenty years," said Neville, "and there's still people who fear him."

"I'm not afraid of Voldemort," said Cho, "I mean I was, who wasn't? Old habits die hard, I guess."

"A lot has changed in twenty years," said Angelina, "most of it for the better. The Death Eaters whom were captured after Harry killed Voldemort, while those whom were under the Imperious curse were given amnesty and those whom willingly sided with Voldemort were sent to prison, their families weren't punished. Most have decided to change with the times and accept Muggle Born wizards as fellow wizards, or, at least tolerate them."

"Cordelia and Orion are among the few whom actually made friends with Muggle Borns while at Hogwarts," said Neville, "and have volunteered to help you Keyblade Wielders get settled in here."

"Then why are they just standing there, looking at us?" Tess asked.

"I think they're a bit afraid of us," said Riku.

"Afraid of us?" Sora asked, "now why would they be afraid of us?"

"I can guess," said Neville, "you wielded The Sword of Godric Gryffindor against a terrifying monster. And you all stood up to the source of all evil in all of existence."

"Chernabog was a pushover," said Sora boldly, "yes, we've done some pretty scary stuff, but that's no reason to be afraid of us," he then walked over to Cordelia and Orion, "hey, how's it going?"

"Uh…it's going…pretty well," said Cordelia in a slightly nervous tone, "how are you?"

"Fine," said a smiling Sora, "we're all fine. Come on over, meet the gang," he then lead Cordelia and Orion over, to Kairi, Riku and the others, "I'm Sora by the way."

"Hello, Sora," said Orion, "nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Orion," said Kairi.

At that Orion looked slightly annoyed, "don't call me that! Only my parents call me that."

"Call him Ryo," said Cordelia, "everyone does."

"Well, Ryo," said Riku, "anyone else here have nicknames?"

"Quite a few," said Ryo. He pointed to a 16 year old Gryffindor girl with long, braided blond hair and sea green eyes, "That's Chrysanthemum Meadows, but she likes to be called Kylie, after the pop star Kylie Minogue."

"Mostly because she sings just as good as the pop star," said Cordelia, "and she's the lead Chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team."

"Then there's Cassiopeia 'Cass' Stonebreak," said Ryo as he pointed to a Ravenclaw girl, about 15, with light blue eyes and had long brown hair with blue and bronze highlights, "she's the Keeper for the Ravenclaw team."

"There's also our Scanner for the year," said Cordelia as she pointed to a group of men and women wearing brown jackets over t-shirts and blue jeans, "they're the Meta Humans from the BPRD for the year. That one, the one with the sunglasses," she indicated a man in his early 20's with short brown hair and wearing heavy wraparound sunglasses, "That's Jefferson Davis Wallencheck, but insists on 'J.D.'"

"Before you ask," said Ryo, "he's completely blind, but sees with other senses."

"J.D. not only can hear, smell and feel better than a normal man," said Cordelia, "he can also see with his mind, and hear your thoughts if you let your mental defenses down."

"So they really do let Meta Humans teach at Hogwarts," said Riku.

"Mostly hand to hand combat," said Ryo, "He Who Must Not Be Named and The Death Eaters were the worst the 20th Century had to offer, but the 21st Century has shown some pretty horrible horrors, no doubt about that."

Just then two Gryffindors and a Ravenclaw walkedover. The first Gryffindor, a boy, age 15 with light blue eyes and brown hair, the other, a girl, about 15 with light brown eyes and long brown hair, the Ravenclaw, a girl about 17 with greenish brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair.

"At last we meet, Keyblade Wielders," said the Ravenclaw girl eagerly as she held out her hand, "Tara Underhill, Head Girl, at your service."

"Matthew Northvale, Gryffindor 5th year Prefect."

"Alison Waterfield, other Gryffindor 5th year Prefect."

"Nice to meet you all," said Kairi as she and the others shook hands with Tara, Matthew and Alison.

"We're all on the special liaison committee for you guys," said Alison.

"How'd you get that job?" Naminé asked.

"We volunteered," said Matthew, "As did the rest of us," he then looked over at another group of students, "oi! Get over here and say hello!"

Sora and the others were then introduced to the rest of the liaison committee. Among them were Cass Stonebreak and Kylie Meadows. There was also Nathanial Leftbridge-Stewart, a 4th year Ravenclaw with dark blue, almost black eyes and short blond hair, Yasmine Manfredi, a 6th year Huffelpuff Prefect with dark brown eyes and long auburn hair, and Lancaster Taming, a 5th year Huffelpuff with blue eyes and brown hair.

"We've all come together to make sure you Keyblade Wielders enjoy your stay at Hogwarts," said Cass Stonebreak.

"Us too," said Ryo, while Cordelia nodded in agreement.

"The four Houses of Hogwarts, joining forces in the spirit of friendship and cooperation," said Tara Underhill, "We prepared a special welcoming card for you Keyblade Wielders. Kylie…?"

"I don't have it," said Kylie Meadows, "I gave it to Yasmine."

"And I gave it to Nathanial," said Yasmine Manfredi.

"And I gave it to Cass!" said Nathanial Leftbridge-Stewart.

Cass Stonebreak then felt in her robe pockets, her expression changing to that of nervousness as she failed to find the card, "I had it before coming to The Great Hall, I swear it!"

"Could you have dropped it somewhere?" Ryo asked.

"No chance," said Cass, "I swear, I made sure it was safe in my pocket. How could I…ouch!" she then jerked her hand out of her pocket with a small black creature biting into her index finger. She pulled it off her finger, revealing it to be a humanoid creature with four arms, four legs, four wings and covered with coarse black fur.

"A Doxy!" said Kylie Meadows.

"James!" shouted both Matthew Northvale and Alison Waterfield.

"This is the second time he's pulled this prank this term," said Tara, "it's got to stop! James Sirius Potter! Where are you!?" she then walked over to a nearby group of Gryffindor 3rd years, "have you seen James anywhere? He's up to his neck in trouble!"

"Found him, Tara!" said a cheerful tone that came from a tall 7th year Huffelpuff boy with short dark blond hair and light blue eyes, whom was dragging a 3rd year Gryffindor boy with short, tangled black hair and brown eyes, over to the group, "found him with his usual gang."

"I didn't do anything!" said James Sirius Potter, "honest!"

"Oh really," said Tara as she took the still thrashing Doxy from Cass, "you didn't happen to nick a bunch of these from Hagrid during Care of Magical Creatures earlier in the month, did you?"

"Doxies?" James Potter asked, "no, we were studying Knarls and Kneazles."

"You are now, but these particular buggars went missing," said Tara, "and one of them was found in Beatrice Kiddo's handbag two weeks ago."

"Oh, now I remember," said James Potter, "yeah, that was just a joke."

"And putting one in my pocket?!" Cass Stonebreak demanded as she rubbed her finger, which wasn't bleeding but looked sore, "now I have go to see Madam Pomfrey!"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Cordelia asked.

"Oh, right," said Cass. She then glared at James Potter, "where is it?"

"Where's what?" James asked innocently.

"The card, you arrogant little monster!" snapped Cass, "we worked very hard to make that card for our visiting friends and you decided to nick it for a practical joke! Now where is it?! Tell me, or I'll beat it out of you!"

"You can't hit me!" said James, "it was just a joke, just for giggles, that's all."

"You'll find the back of my hand worth laughing about," said an irate Cass.

"She'll do it," said Tara, "she'll probably spend the rest of term in detention, and get kicked off of her house Quidditch team, but she'll do it."

"Alright, alright!" said James Potter as he pulled the card out of his pocket, "for crying out loud, it was just a prank, a little joke to break the ice, honest."

"We were doing that without your help, thank you very much," said Tara in an annoyed tone as she took the card from James, "five points from Gryffindor, and don't complain or it'll be ten! Now apologize to Cass and to our new friends, or I'll tell Hagrid and Professor McGonagall."

"Oh, be serious," said James, "Cass isn't hurt that much. It's a special breed of Doxy that Hagrid brought in. It's harmless."

"Huh, you know," said Cass as she looked at her finger, "the swelling is going down."

"See, harmless," said James, "no harm's been done, so there's no reason to get any of the teachers involved."

"This really isn't worth a detention, Tara," said Alison. "And you have to admit, it was pretty funny."

"He still should apologize," said Tara. She then looked down at James, "alright, Potter, I won't get the staff involved. But I will send an owl to your mother."

At that James looked like he was given a death sentence, "you wouldn't," he said nervously.

"I would," said Tara, "your parents talked to me when I was made Head Girl and they asked me to keep an eye on you. Now, you can say you're sorry for an albeit harmless but still inappropriate prank, or I can drop a letter to your mum and have her come here and talk with you."

"Or she could send a howler," said Yasmine, "that'll teach him a lesson he'll be hard to forget."

"Alright, I'm sorry!" said James, "I'm sorry for the Doxy, and I'm sorry for taking the card."

"That's more like it," said Tara, "now get back to your friends, and please behave. You're getting just as bad as Fred and George Weasley were."

"Please," said James, "I'm nothing like Fred and George," he then smiled mischievously, "yet!" with that he ran back to his friends.

"I swear," said Tara in an annoyed tone, "if I ever have children like that, I'll put the Imperious curse on them."

"Oh come on," said the 7th year Huffelpuff who brought James over, "kids aren't that bad."

"Before you get started, Louis Allgood," said Tara, "just because you're Head Boy and I'm Head Girl, doesn't mean I'm going to wind up marrying you, I'm not particularly fond of you anyway."

"Are you still upset about that time I set off that dung bomb in the girl's bathroom?" Louis Allgood asked, "that was five years ago!"

"I have a very long memory," said Tara, "we're collogues, nothing more."

"Are you sure?" Louis Allgood asked, "for a while now, you had seemed to be warming up to me."

"Not likely," said an annoyed Tara.

"Oh come now," said Louis Allgood, "deny it all you want, but I'm wearing you down."

"The day I ever warm up to an arrogant troll like you," said Tara, "will be the day I jump off the Astronomy Tower without a broomstick!"

At that Louis Allgood looked like he wanted to say something else, but decided against it and walked away.

"What a git," said Tara, "he thinks that time heals all wounds, but he did more than throw a dung bomb into the bathroom. How did that chowder head get picked to he Head Boy, I still don't know."

"Oh, he's alright," said Lancaster, "he just likes you."

"He has a strange way of showing it," said Tara. She then smiled brightly at Sora and the others, "but enough about that. I hope you all are enjoying the feast."

"Oh, yes, it's delicious," said Sora, "especially the Sea Salt Ice Cream. It's exactly the same as they have on Radiant Garden and Twilight Town."

"It's true," said Roxas, "the same in every detail. How's that possible?"

"I believe I can answer that," said a mildly quiet voice. There stood a man in his mid 30's with slightly balding brown hair, brown eyes behind glasses and wearing a white shirt under a brown jacket with green shorts and brown boots. "I negotiated a deal with Scrooge McDuck. His recipie for Sea Salt Ice Cream in exchange for three of mine. He wanted five but I argued him down a bit."

"Andrew Carpenter," said Sora.

"It's been a while since The World that Never Was," said Andrew Carpenter as he glanced at his watch, "excuse me, Zumakalis."

"You know Chef Andrew?" Ryo asked.

"He helped disarm a neutron bomb and turned it into an EMP bomb," said Riku.

"And made these really delicious energy-boosting snacks," said Tess, "but what are you doing here?"

"Trying to teach basic cooking," said Andrew as he looked at his watch again, "you'd be surprised how little magic users on this world know about preparing their own food. They think that they can just wave a wand and it'll come. But you can't just magic it out of thin air, no, you have to have the ingredients in advance. Take this feast for example," he then looked at his watch, "I purchased everything in Hogsmeade, just for this occasion."

"You made the feast?" Kairi asked.

"With a little help from the Hogwarts resident House Elves," said Andrew, "they were really eager to learn some of my recipes. I'll admit, they were much more eager to learn than the human students at this school, and they're so nice."

"Yeah, kindness is a natural trait of House Elves," said Kylie.

"And they still happily serve wizards," said Tara, "even after all the new laws promoting elfish rights had been established."

"Yeah, well," said Andrew, "they're still eager to learn my recipes. I've already published several cookbooks in the mortal realm, excuse me, Muggle world, so I might as well try them out at Hogwarts. I'm also teaching the House Elves here the secrets to the perfect BBQ."

"BBQ at Hogwarts," said Ryo, "only in the 21st Century."

"Oh, you don't think BBQ is appropriate for Hogwarts?" Andrew asked in an annoyed tone, "or would you rather prefer fish and chips? Or bangers and mash?"

"No one has ever complained about your recipes, Andrew," said Tara in a placating tone, "you're one of the best visiting chefs to ever visit Hogwarts."

"Don't let Molly Weasley hear that," said Alison, "she'd turn you inside out."

"Oh, Molly wouldn't do anything like that," said Andrew as he looked at his watch, "I'm practically a cousin, she likes me that much. So," he looked at Sora and the other Keyblade Wielders, "you've been into some pretty intense stuff since we tore Maleficent and Gideon off of their high horses."

"If battling Wamphyri, psycho witches and shape shifting sorcerers, illusionists, different types of monsters and soul stealing maniacs intense, then yeah, we have been busy," said Riku.

"And we made more than a few friends," said Kairi.

"Hmm," said Andrew as he looked at Malcolm, "you've been busy, in more ways than one."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Roxas asked.

"It means he knows that I'm well versed in the dark arts of The Magical Dimension," said Malcolm. He then looked at Tara, Alison, Nathanial, Ryo, Cordelia and the other witches and wizards, whom were all looking at him as if he was a villain, "yes, I practice the dark arts, but I am nothing like Voldemort and the Death Eaters. For one thing, I don't hurt people for fun. I hate that kind of lunacy. Anyone whom takes pleasure in hurting people, whether their physical, emotional or other, anyone who does that should be locked up and made sure that they never hurt anyone again!"

"He's telling the truth," said Yasmine. She then looked at Sora and the others, "I've always been able to read the hearts of others, so I know when people are lying."

"His mind is also telling the truth," said Tara as she looked at Malcolm, "I'm studying Legilimency."

"Yeah, Hogwarts is just full of psychics and empaths," said Andrew in a bored tone, "just like home. I came here for a change of pace, to shake things up a bit and teach some of my recipes to aspiring young minds. Instead, it's the same old same old."

"Same old same old?" Ryo asked, "how many times have you and The Ramblers have saved the world in the last 20 or so years?"

"More times than I'd like to count, kiddo," said Andrew as he looked at his watch, "now, if you'll excuse me, I'm needed in the kitchen." he then headed for the main hall.

"It never fails," said Cass as she looked at her watch, "every night at 10:00 PM, two glasses of warm milk, two pieces of toast and whatever book he's reading."

"That man has some of the most bizarre habits," said Cordelia.

"Oh, he's alright," said Tess, "sure, he's a little strange, but…"

"He keeps looking at his watch," said Ryo, "and I once heard that he picks his feet."

"He doesn't do that any more!" said Kylie in annoyed tone, "I don't know what you heard about Andrew Carpenter, but I won't stand for you to insult him! He's a great man, almost as great as Harry Potter."

"You're just saying that because you've got a crush on him," said Lancaster.

"For shame," teased Cordelia, "he's a married man."

"I do not have a crush on him," said Kylie, "he's just a friend who helped me out once, and no, I don't want to talk about it."

"I'm just saying that I don't know what you see in the man," said Cordelia.

"He's just a friend!" Kylie insisted, "and a great man who's done great things for the world, as did the rest of The Ramblers."

"Oh, now I get it," said Ryo, "hero worship."

"And proud of it," said Kylie as she confidently crossed her arms.

"Yeah, that's the thing," said Aiden, "we know that The Ramblers came to The Realms of Light to help us, but we really don't know anything about them, other than that they've all got super powers and fight evil a lot."

"And we hardly know anything about Harry Potter," said Kairi, "other than he's one of the most loved wizards on this world."

"And he defeated one of the most evil wizards to ever exist," said Riku, "but yeah, we are in the dark about a lot of things."

"That's why we're here," said Sora, "to learn more about magic and to meet new people."

"Well, you've come to the right place," said Matthew, "anything you want to know about Harry, Dumbledore's Army, The Ramblers and just about anything else you want to know."

"You've got questions, we've got answers," said Tara.

"Good, we've got a lot of questions," said Aiden.

Our heroes then spent the next few hours talking with their new friends, learning more about the famous wizards and Meta Humans on the world, as well as the muggle heroes of The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, as well as the alliance between the magical world and the BPRD.

"It's all because of The Technomancers," said Tara, "robotic aliens hell bent on wiping out all magic in the universe. They attacked Earth and it took the combined efforts of The Ramblers and Dumbledore's Army to destroy them."

"That was more than ten years ago," said Matthew, "most of us barely remember what happened, other than what's in the history books."

"Everything you need to know about the alliance is in the school library," said Alison, "and I'm sure that most of the staff here, including Professors Longbottom, Connor and Johnson-Weasley, will tell you all the details."

Just then the school clock tower struck midnight.

"Good grief! Midnight already?" Tara asked, "and we have classes tomorrow," she then raised her voice, "everyone to bed now!"

"Indeed!" said Professor McGonagall, "off to bed, all of you! There'll be plenty of leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Now go to bed!"

"We'd better get going," said Kairi to our heroes, "I've got the feeling that it'd be really bad if we're caught out of bed after hours."

"You'd better believe it," said Cordelia, "the previous caretaker, Argus Filch, was a nasty piece of work. The new one, Zane Phelops, isn't as nasty, but he'll still throw the book at you if you cross him."

"Whatever happened to Filch?" Kylie asked, "I heard he retired."

"I heard he ran away with Madam Pince, the old librarian," said Alison.

"I heard he died," said Yasmine.

"He was too nasty to die," Tara, "my first year was his last. Believe me, Argus Filch is still out there, grumbling and wanting to punish rule breakers." she then looked at Sora and the others, "well, off to bed, you lot. I'll show the way to the guest quarters. Your luggage is already there, so let's get going."

Our heroes then said goodnight to their new friends and followed Tara through the many staircases and corridors of Hogwarts to the guest rooms on the 3rd floor, where, they heard, once held the entrance to a series of magical protections that guarded The Philosopher's Stone.

"Dumbledore had the whole corridor marked out of bounds," said Tara as she showed our heroes the indicated hallway, "at the far end is the door where Hagrid put his three-headed dog to keep watch on the trap door. And you know what, having met Fluffy when he's had a chance to run around a bit and enjoy some fresh air and sunshine, he's just a big puppy at heart."

"We also know a three-headed dog," said Sora, "he was a real monster until someone showed him a little kindness."

"Cerberus just wanted some love," said Tess, "hard to expect from a genuine asshole like Hades."

"We still have so much to learn from each other," said Tara, "but it can wait until daylight."

She then showed our heroes to a large suite that had a living room with a warm fire already going, several overstuffed chairs and sofas, a full bookshelf and a spiral staircase in one corner.

"The suite is enchanted to have as many bedrooms as needed," said Tara, "each bedroom is further up the staircase. Sorry that they're singe beds, the school has a no 'hanky-panky' rule that the Four Founders set up."

"Spoil sports," said Tess in a teasing manner.

"Well, at least the rooms are comfy," said Tara, "your stuff is all in your rooms and the beds already turned down, so goodnight, everyone, and I'll see you all at breakfast."

Sora and the others said goodnight to Tara. She left and they all went up to their respective bedrooms. It wasn't long before they were all ready for bed and fast asleep. But not before one of them had a few words to write.

_Dear Merida,_

_Hogwarts is everything I hoped it would be and more, and we only just got here. We all received a warm welcome from the staff and students to a feast to die for. Now, your mother's recipe for haggis is great, but the feast I just experienced would make Queen Elinor jealous._

_Already, Sora, the others and I have made a tone of friends among the staff and students of Hogwarts, as well as meeting a handful of Meta Humans, men and women with extraordinary abilities. Some of these people helped Sora and the others out before, while many more were eager to get to know us, they were practically jumping over each other to say hello to us._

_Tomorrow we begin observing the many classes they teach here. My penmanship may be unreadable to others, but I'm sure I'll be able to take adequate notes._

_I'm sorry to hear about your sword. It's strange that a blade of forged steel would rust into uselessness in the blink of an eye. I could be wrong, but maybe stabbing Drill Org's eye caused your sword to absorb some of the creature's evil, and considering that Orgs were created out of negative emotions and sought to contaminate worlds to their liking, it's not all that surprising that your sword was rendered useless. I hope that your next sword is even better than before._

_Sorry for the inkblot above, it's been a long day and I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open, so I'll wrap things up. I miss you, a lot. I'm adamant about my decision to travel with Sora and the others, but part of me wishes I could be right back with you this instant, if only just to say hello._

_Give my regards to your mother, father, brothers, friends, and Angus, how could I ever forget him?_

_Though we're separated by time and space, know that you have been in my heart from the moment we first met. With much love and friendship,_

_Malcolm_

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion and Maleficent's Cavern…**

"Are you sure your machine cannot see them any better?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"I've run three diagnostics on The Interocitor," said Xehanort, "there are no software or hardware faults."

"It's not the machine," said Regina, "my magic mirror is having difficult focusing on Sora and his companions too."

"I get it that that old goat Ansem set up an anti-spying field," said Dio Brando, "so we can't see what's going on at Radiant Garden."

"Which I shall soon counter," said Xehanort, "my former teacher may think he has the advantage. He will soon find out that the ball has always been in my court."

"Yes, that is all well and done," said Regina, "but we cannot clearly see or hear what Sora and the other young fools are up to at Hogwarts either."

Both the Interocitor and the magic mirror were trying to focus on Sora and the others, but all they got were either static or fog, with random flashes of semi-clear, yet off colored images of our heroes.

"It is Hogwarts," said Maleficent, "the very walls and grounds of that castle are saturated with magic that prevents some powers from being used."

"Teleportation and remote viewing," said Dio Brando, "so what now?"

"Isn't it obvious, you addlebrained blood-addict?" Doctor Insano asked, "we send our new weapons there, just outside the anti-teleportation field of Hogwarts."

"And use them to destroy Hogwarts," said Dio Brando as he smiled viciously, "smash the castle to pieces, while wiping out an entire generation of little witches and wizards. Now that's my idea of a party!"

"And just when are these new weapons to be completed?" Sephiroth asked.

"Today," said Maleficent, "or, at least my potion for Lady Tremaine, that is finished."

"Then where is it?" Lady Tremaine asked urgently. "I've done everything you've asked of me since I've joined with you, everything. You keep promising me this new power, now where is it?"

"Right behind you," said Maleficent.

Lady Tremaine turned around and saw a bronze goblet hovering in midair. The cup was full of a purple liquid that was bubblling slightly and giving off orange smoke.

"This is it?" Lady Tremaine asked cautiously.

"Indeed," said Maleficent, "drink it and you shall be transformed into a creature of dark powers beyond your wildest dreams."

"Are you certain?" Regina asked as she looked at the potion, "this concoction doesn't seem to be up to your usual standards."

"What!?" exclaimed Maleficent as she glared wrathfully at Regina, "you doubt my prowess in the dark arts? Am I not still the mistress of all evil?!"

"There's never been any doubt in my mind of your mastery of dark magic," said Regina, "I was merely commentating on your host. Have you not spent enough time in that slip of a girl?"

"She has a point," said Xehanort, "as pleasing to the eye your new body is, you have made repeated remarks on acquiring a more suitable body, one that better serves as a vessel for your powers."

"When the time is right, I shall have a new host," said Maleficent in an irate tone, "and when I am in my new form, my power shall be greater than ever before!" she then roughly handed the goblet out to Lady Tremaine, "now, drink this and take your new powers! Or, if you feel that my abilities aren't up to my usual standard," she then took a step away from Regina, "I can simply pour this onto the floor and let all of my hard work go to waste."

"I never said anything about doubts!" snapped Lady Tremaine as she took the goblet from Maleficent. She held it up, "with this potion, I begin my revenge on that wretched Cinderella!" she then brought the goblet up to her lips and drank the entire potion, licking a stray drop or two from her lips with her tongue. She then looked at Maleficent, "strawberry-mango? How did you know…?"

"I know more about you than just your favorite fruits," said Maleficent, she then smiled wickedly, "now, brace yourself, and feel free to scream."

All of a sudden, Lady Tremaine clutched her stomach, her face twisting in agony as she fell to her knees.

"You poisoned her!" said Dio Brando in a delighted voice.

"Hardly," said Maleficent, "if I wanted her dead, then simple poisoning would hardly suffice."

"You backstabbing witch!" snapped Lady Tremaine as she struggled to get back up, yet could barely maintain her balance, "how dare you do this to me?!"

"You took the portion of your own free will," said Maleficent, "it is not my fault that you are unhappy with the side effects. Now, the pain should be subsiding momentarily."

Lady Tremaine did stand up as the pain began to leave her body.

"Now," said Maleficent as she directed her to stand in front of the magic mirror, "watch and behold. Witness your transformation!"

"Impressive," said Regina as she saw Lady Tremaine grow younger; the lines of age vanishing, her gray hair darkening to a rich chestnut brown and falling out of its tight bun, growing longer and more curly, as well as her figure filling out more.

"Incredible!" said Lady Treamine as she touched her reflection, then touched her now flawless face, "I…I haven't been this lovely in decades, since before my daughters were born!"

"Well," said Xehanort, "underneath those cruel, hawkish features, indeed lies a creature of dark beauty."

"She's more than young and beautiful now," Maleficent, "and I do believe that my host feels that a change in wardrobe is more appropriate."

"What do you mean?" Lady Tremaine as she looked at her dark purple dress with puffed sleeves, "what is wrong with my outfit?"

"It seems hardly fitting for your new youth, beauty and…assets," said Dio Brando.

"Allow me," said Maleficent, "my host has some…ideas," she then cast a spell on Lady Tremaine, turning the dark purple dress into a gold and black, sleeveless gown split up the sides up to the knees with dark blue stockings and calf-length leather boots, as well as wrist length gloves.

"Fantastic!" said Lady Tremaine as she admired her reflection, "most fantastic! I'd like to see my daughters wear something like this! Now, what about my new powers?"

"You shall experience the full range of your powers once your body fully adjusts to your new form," said Maleficent, "a day or two, then we shall see what you can do."

"Yes, yes, that's all well and good," said Insano, "and now for my part of the show!"

"Then let us take this show to your lab," said Xehanort.

"Gladly," said Insano. He, Xehanort, Sephiroth and Dio Brando, all walked to the mad scientist's laboratory, a room full of sinister scientific equipment and computers. In the middle of the lab was a large machine with three beam projectors pointing at an operating table that was bolted to the floor.

"All is in readiness," said Insnao as he went to one of the computers and checked a program, "all is needed now is the test subject, and the experiment can begin!"

"Where is the test subject?" Regina asked as she, Lady Tremaine and Maleficent watched via the magic mirror.

Just then Lefou wheeled Gaston into the lab, "you can still back out of this, Gaston," said Lefou, "you don't need this maniac to get your strength back. You were doing just fine all by yourself and the doctors at St. Primrose hospital."

"And how long would it have been before the doctors said I was back to normal?" Gaston asked, "we've been over this dozens of times, Lefou! The so-called _doctors _said that I would never be back to my old self! That I would have a limp and never be able to shoot a bow and arrow again!" He indicated his 'lazy eye,' "and do you honestly think that with this face," he then indicated his many scars and atrophied muscles, "and this body, would attract any girl? No, Lefou, this is the only answer, the only way I can regain my old self, the only way I can get my revenge on Belle and that filthy beast of hers!" he glared at Insnao, "I'm ready, do your worst!"

"You'd never survive my worst," said Insano, "now, just hop onto the table and we can begin. Oh, before I forget," he then pulled out some papers from his lab coat pocket, "you'll need to sign these medical wavers. Just standard insanity insurance polices, you understand."

"Perfectly," said Gaston as he took the papers, while Lefou handed him a pen, then Gaston signed the papers on Lefou's back.

"I'm not so sure about this," said Sephiroth to Xehanort, "it's bad enough that we have that lunatic to deal with. Do we really need another villain around here?"

"Just having you guys around makes this place crowded," said Dio Brando.

"I admit, Insano is…an acquired taste," said Xehanort, "yet, I am curious as to how this little experiment of his will play out. Will he succeed and create a new villain? Or will Gaston meet an untimely and almost surely gruesome end?"

"Yeah, that I want to find out," said Dio Brando.

"My curiosity has also been irritated," said Sephiroth.

"Then let us watch," said Xehanort. He then looked at Insnao, "whenever you are ready, good doctor."

"Just as soon as the red tape is finished," said Insano. Gaston then handed him the last of the signed forms, "now we're ready. Hop onto the table."

Gaston needed Lefou's help to get onto the table. Insano then bade Gaston to lie back and relax, only for straps to shoot out and restrain Gaston across the chest, arms, legs and head.

"Just to make sure you don't move around and hurt yourself," said Insano as he typed into one of the computers. The machine began powering up with an insidious hum.

"Is it supposed to make that noise?" Gaston asked as he nervously looked at the three beam projectors, which were now pulsing with yellowish green light.

"It's perfectly normal for the machine," said Insano, "or at least I think so, I've never done this before."

"What?!" exclaimed both Gaston and Lefou.

"Oh, don't fret, this is going to be fun," said Insnao, "for me at least!" he then giggled madly.

"Let me out!" exclaimed Gaston as he struggled to free himself from the straps, "I've changed my mind! I don't want to do this! I want to go back to the hospital!"

"Too late," said Insano as he activated another program in the machine, causing the machine to hum and pulse more, "you signed all rights to your safety to me! You're mine to do with as I please!"

"I knew we should have read the fine print!" exclaimed Lefou.

"Just one more button to push!" said Insano. "Any last words!"

"Screw you!" snapped Gaston.

"Well spoken," said Insano. With that he pushed the final button. The beam projectors flashed and shot their insidious rays at Gaston, enveloping him an mutating energies, yet he did not scream, he barely made a sound.

"Either he is enduring the pain better than I expected," said Insano, "or he's passed out. Either way," he looked at the data on the screen of the computer, "he's accepting the genetic resequencing. A few more seconds and…that should do it!" he then pressed another button and the beam projectors powered down.

"What did you do to him!?" exclaimed Lefou.

"I've made him into a new man," said Insano, "see for yourself!" he then commanded the straps to open.

"He's not moving," said Dio Brando as they all looked at Gaston's still form, "I think you killed him."

"Have a little faith in my science, will you!" snapped Insano, "he's not dead," he then walked over to Gaston, whom was still unconscious. The mad scientist then slapped Gaston across the face, "Wake up! Wake up, damn it!" he then made to slap Gaston again, but Gaston, with his eyes still closed, grabbed Insnao's had before it could touch his face.

Gaston opened his eyes, now red and glaring at Insano, "don't ever touch me again, you maniac!" he then hopped off of the table with fluidic ease.

"Gaston!" said a joyful and relieved Lefou, "you're alright!"

"I'm better than alright," said Gaston, "I feel fantastic!"

"You look fantastic, my young friend," said Xehanort, "and looking more fantastic all the time."

Before everyone in the room, Gaston's body changed; his scars vanished and his muscles regained their previous mass and tone,, as well as increasing, taking his physic to new heights.

"It worked!" giggled Insano, "my experiment worked!"

"Yes, he is impressive," said Sephiroth, "but what of his new powers?"

"Yeah, you did promise me that," said Gaston to Insano, "aside from feeling better than I have in a long time, I don't feel any different."

"Oh, your body needs a day or so to adjust," said Insano, "your new powers will show up then."

"It seems we have a rather interesting situation," said Maleficent, "two advocates of the darkness, each restored to new glories and awaiting new powers."

"I suggest that we wait before attacking Hogwarts," said Xehanort, "at least until our friends have a better grasp on their powers."

"A proving ground event," said Regina, "yes, that will work out nicely."

"And I have just the tests in mind," said Insano as he eagerly tapped his fingers together, "one that our friends will find most challenging. I'll have the obstacle course set up by the time our friends DNA have settled down."

"And once they've grown accustomed to their new powers," said Maleficent, "they shall lead the attack on Hogwarts. What Voldemort and his Death Eaters did shall seem a trifle compared to what is to come!"

**The end of chapter 1**

_Next chapter finds our heroes living the Hogwarts life as they experience the many classes taught there. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie, see you then!_


	2. Chapter 2: Magical Curriculum

Last time found Sora and the gang setting out from Radiant Garden to Hogwarts, where they hoped to learn more about magic. As soon as our heroes left, King Mickey set in motion a chain of events that would result in a Grand Conclave, in which all of the heroes and Princesses of Heart in The Realm of Lights and beyond would sit down and talk about what to do about Maleficent and Xehanort.

Sora and the gang arrived at Hogwarts, where they met several of the school Professors, students and a familiar Meta Human during a welcoming feast. After a night of getting to know the witches and wizards of Hogwarts, our heroes settled in for the night, ready to start learning in the morning.

Meanwhile at Castle Oblivion, Maleficent and her group linked up with Xehanort and his group. Maleficent then produced a potion that made Lady Tremaine young and grant her new powers, while Doctor Insano mutated Gaston in a living killing machine. Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 2: Magical Curriculum**

"Can you believe how many ghosts are here?" Kairi asked as they made their way through the corridors of Hogwarts to the next class they'd sit in on.

"Hundreds," said Tara as she showed our heroes the way to the next class, "and each ghost has their own story." It was mid afternoon and Sora and the others had already learned a lot about the magic of this world, as well as experienced many wonders of Hogwarts.

Breakfast was an experience itself. Sora and the gang joined the students bright and early, ready for a day of learning, and just as they were sitting down to hot and cold cereal with toast and jam and several types of juice, when hundreds of owls flew into the Great Hall, delivering the morning post to the students. Aside from letters and packages from home and friends, some students received issues of The Daily Profit, the wizarding newspaper, as well as The Quibbler, a wizarding equivalent of a tabloid magazine.

During breakfast, our heroes first encountered many of the ghosts of Hogwarts, including the four whom reside in the four houses; The Bloody Barron, so called because of his bloodstained clothes, haunted Slytherin House. The Gray Lady, formerly Helena Ravenclaw, daughter of Rowena, haunted Ravenclaw House. The Fat Friar, a jolly monk whom used his powers in life to help the sick, haunted Hufflepuff House.

Then there was Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington, ghost of Gryffindor House, otherwise known as Nearly Headless Nick.

"Nearly Headless?" Aiden asked the doublet and plumed hat-wearing ghost, whom had a large neck ruffle, "how can you be nearly headless?"

"Like this," said the ghost as he grabbed his hair and tilted his head to the side, moving it like a hinge with half an inch of skin, revealing the inside of his neck.

"Good gods!" exclaimed a horrified Aiden, while Sora and the others looked on with shocked eyes.

"Yes, it is a horrible sight," said Nearly Headless Nick morosely as he swung his head back on, "they truly botched my execution. The headsman hit me forty-five times with a blunt axe and he still couldn't get the whole thing off. An embarrassment, really."

"Sorry I asked," said Aiden.

But Matthew, Alison and their fellow Gryffindors laughed it off, "that never gets old," said Matthew.

Yet despite their horrific shock, Sora and the others weren't deterred from getting ready for the day and enjoy the classes taught at Hogwarts. The schedule that Professor McGonagall had drawn up for them had them visiting not only the different classes, but also classes for different year groups. That way they would get a better understanding of the wide curriculum being taught.

Their first destination was Transfiguration, where Professor Johnson-Weasley was teaching a group of Ravenlcaw 4th years how to turn furniture into animals.

"I wouldn't eat furniture," said Sora after class, "even if it is one you can eat."

"A chair into a turkey," said Kairi, "and a desk into a pig. Are those real animals? And if they were, what kind of thoughts did they have? I'd be freaked out if I were suddenly brought to life, only to be eaten."

"I don't know," said Malcolm, "if you turn a desk pig into pork chops, bacon and such, would they have the same nutrients as normal pork?"

"That's what we're here to find out," said Riku, "but we can ask later. We're going to be late for the next class."

Kylie Meadows then showed our heroes to Charms, where Professor Flitwick, a dwarf with a shock of white hair, taught a 3rd Ravenclaw class a Cheering Charm. Everyone left that class smiling brightly.

Lunch came next, followed by Herbology with Professor Longbottom.

"Watch out for the Venomus Tentacula," said Professor Longbottom as he instructed a group of 1th year Gryffindors on a strange gray cactus with boils instead of spines, "it's feeling a bit ornery today."

He was referring to a large, dark red plant with spiky vines and a flower that had teeth. Sora and the others carefully avoided the plant, only to hold their noses when one of the 1st year students poked one of the gray cacti, whose boils spewed a vile smelling sap as a defense mechanism. Fortunately, none of our heroes were sprayed with the sap and the unlucky student wasn't hurt, just needed a long hot bath.

Now our heroes were making their way to History of Magic.

"I hear it's the most boring class at Hogwarts," said Sora, "I never liked history class back home."

"Well if you tried paying attention instead of goofing off in class, you lazy bum," teased Kairi, "you might have learned something interesting."

"Our history class was only boring because we had the most dull, tedious and overall uninspiring teacher to ever live or die," said Cordelia, whom would be joining her 4th year Slytherins in the indicated class, while Tara was showing the way, "Professor Bins was the only ghost teacher at Hogwarts. In life he taught for many, many, many years. One day he fell asleep by the fire and died, but when it was time for class, his ghost got up and went to the classroom, as if he had forgotten to bring his body along, and continued to teach, with each year getting more and more lackluster than before."

"Then how come Professor Connor is teaching it?" Aiden asked.

"Two reasons actually," said Cordelia, "one, she wanted the job. I heard, and this is only a rumor, that she was the only one in her age, perhaps the only Ravenclaw in a long time, to truly enjoy History of Magic, while Professor Bins was teacher. The job became available when one day, Professor Bins just up and vanished with no word of his departure or where he went, hence the other reason. It was apparently a real shock to everyone here, even to his fellow ghosts, for he had been the most predictable and reliable being in Hogwarts. Even Peeves was shocked by his departure, and he's an absolute horror."

"You don't have to remind us," said Aiden. He had a brief but memorable encounter with the resident poltergeist during lunch, when Peeves dumped a dozen raw eggs on Aiden's head, then pelted a few eggs at Kairi, Tess and Naminé. Tara was only too happy to clean the mess up, but was furious that the poltergeist chose Aiden and the others as his latest victims of mischief.

* * *

"I'll tell The Bloody Barron!" snapped the Head Girl as she used a spell to remove the raw eggs from Aiden's hair, while Cass, Yasmine and Alison cleaned up Kairi, Naminé and Tess, "I mean it, Peeves! Aiden and his friends are guests and I won't stand for you abusing them!"

"All the more reason for me to!" said Peeves as he grinned impishly at Sora and the others, "ikkle heroes from another world, what a rare treat for Peevise!"

"I'll give him a treat!" snapped Aiden, "I'll transmute that thing into mush!"

"I don't think that would work," said Professor McGonagall as she walked up to see what all the hubbub all about, "poltergeists aren't so easy to get rid of, mind you," she then glared up at Peeves as said mischievous entity did summersaults in midair, "but I would appreciate, if only this one time, if certain creatures showed just a hint of common sense towards visiting heroes!"

"Why of course, dearest headmistress," said Peeves in an oily tone as he gave Professor McGonagall an unconvincing bow of respect in midair, "I would never do anything to upset you, or our illustrious friends from another world!" with that the poltergeist floated off to bother someone else.

"See that you do," said McGonagall after the mischievous entity.

"Why do you allow that horrible thing to be here at Hogwarts?" Naminé asked as she pulled a fragment of eggshell from her hair.

"Believe me," said Tara, "if we could get rid of him, we could, but in truth, Peeves means no real harm."

"He did help oust 'Toad-Face' Umbridge," said Cass, "now she was the stuff of nightmares."

"Yeah," said Aiden in an annoyed tone, "but I'd be happier of this particular poltergeist left me alone."

As if in answer, Peeves appeared behind Aiden and grabbed his nose while shouting, "GOT YOUR CONK!" before zooming off and giggling wickedly.

"Son of a bitch!" snapped Aiden, "that does it! The next time he tries to mess with me, I'll turn him into slime!"

"Don't waste your energies on it," said Malcolm, "I know how to deal with poltergeists."

"How?" Sora asked.

"I'll show you the next time we run into him," said Malcolm.

* * *

"I'm still wondering how you're going to deal with that poltergeist," said Sora to Malcolm as the made their way to History of Magic class with Cordelia, while Tara was helping them find their way.

"I told you," said Malcolm, "I'll show you when we next run into him."

"What, are you going to call the Ghostbusters?" teased Kairi.

"No, he's going to do the busting himself," said Riku.

"You'll just have to wait," said Malcolm. But then he bumped into a 2nd year Slytherin, one with slicked back blond hair and gray eyes.

"Why don't you watch where you're going?" the boy asked in an annoyed tone.

"Why don't _you _watch where _you're _going, shorty!" said Malcolm.

At that the 2nd year Slytherin glared irately at Malcolm, "what did you call me?"

"I called you what you are, shorty," said Malcolm as he glared down at the boy.

"Hey, take it easy!' said a 2nd year Ravenclaw girl, one with bushy red hair, blue eyes, freckles and two very large front teeth, as she, as well as a 2nd year Gryffindor boy with short, black hair and green eyes, and a 2nd year Hufflepuff girl with long, curly brown hair and hazel eyes, whose wrists were adorned with multicolored wristbands, ran up to Malcolm and the Slytherin boy. All three of the newcomers were at least two inches taller than their friend

"He's a little sensitive to his height," said the Gryffindor boy.

"Don't even say 'little' around him," said the Hufflepuff girl.

"It's okay, Izzy," said the Slytherin boy, "the outsider didn't know any better."

"Outsider?" Malcolm asked, "is that what you kids are calling me?"

"Well, you are from another world," said the Ravenvlaw girl, "you and the other Keyblade Wielders, you're from pretty much all over the multiple universes."

"At least they're the good guys," said the Gryffindor boy.

"They're more than that," said Tara. She then looked at Sora and the others, "may I have the honor of introducing to you, four of Hogwarts finest, at least in their eyes," she indicated the Slytherin boy, "Scorpio Malfoy," the Hufflepuff girl, "Isobel 'Izzy' Ashcroft," the Ravenclaw girl, "Rose Weasley," then the Gryffindor boy, "and Albus Potter."

"Good to meet you all," said Kairi as she shook hands with the four of them.

"Yes, all fine and dandy," said Tara. She then looked at the four, "now, I think you'd better get a move on to your class."

"Potions with Professor Slughorn," said Izzy Ashcroft in a slightly uncomfortable tone, "I still don't like him that much."

"Oh come on, Izzy," said Rose Weasley, "he's not bad," she then frowned slightly, "just…a bit too…prying."

"He's just trying to get us into the Slug Club," said Albus Potter, "dad and mum warned us about it."

"Yeah," said Rose Weasley, "but other than that, Old Sluggy is alright."

"More or less," said Scorpio Malfoy. He then nodded in acknowledgement to Malcolm and the others, "good day," he said in a dry but polite tone. He then looked at Cordelia, "Greenfield."

"Malfoy," said Cordelia in a polite tone. With that Scorpio Malfoy and his friends ran off to their class.

"Well, that was an interesting distraction," said Tess.

"I've got a feeling that I've seen one or two of them before," said Sora, "Albus and Rose, they seem, familiar."

"What about them?" Kairi asked.

"Well," said Sora, "I don't know about Rose, but Albus…he's…the eyes! I've seen those eyes before! That's it! Harry Potter!"

"That's right, you did meet Harry Potter," said Tara, "Albus is his son, while Rose is Albus's cousin, whose parents are Ron and Hermione Weasley."

"I knew there was something familiar about them!" said Sora.

"What about the other two?" Roxas asked.

"Scorpio is the only son of Draco Malfoy," said Tara, "who is a very complicated man with a very complicated past. But Scorpio's alright. Izzy's one of the hardest working students I've seen, and giving that Hufflepuff house is known for producing hard workers, that's something.

"But the real odd one out is Rose. The Weasley family has been in Gryffindor for hundreds of years. When she was sorted last year, everyone had automatically expected her to be in Gryffindor, but then she had the Sorting Hat put on her head, and as God's honest truth," she then raised her right hand, "my right hand to God, the Sorting Hat shouted 'Ravenclaw!'"

"You make it sound like it was a scandal or something," said Namine.

"It was in a way," said Tara, "like I said, the Weasley family has been in Gryffindor for hundreds of years, except for now. I swear, when Rose was sorted into Ravenclaw, you could hear a pin drop, it was so quiet in the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall had to ask The Sorting Hat if it was sure, that maybe it had made a mistake."

"Has it ever made a mistake?" Riku asked.

"I'm not entirely sure what to say about that," remarked Tara, "sometimes, a Gryffindor turns out to be a bit of a coward, when Gryffindors are known for bravery. Sometimes a dunderhead is sorted into Ravenclaw, a slacker goes into Huffelpuff and a completely selfless and guileless person goes into Slytherin.

"Then again, The Sorting Hat does take into account what the student wants. You can have the heart of a lion but value hard work. You can be ambitious but wise.

"Rose is one of those two-way persons; she's the brightest witch of her year, perfect marks in every exam and set a record for earning the most House Points in the whole school during her first year. On the other hand there's no denying her courage."

"I guess The Sorting Hat made the right choice," said Riku.

"It always takes into account what the student wants," said Tara. She then looked around to see if there was anyone else in earshot, "it actually asked me directly what I wanted."

"Really?" Sora asked.

"My right hand to God," said Tara as she raised her right hand again, "I remember it very clearly. There I was; a small, significantly scared 1st year, walking with my fellow 1st years through the Great Hall, trying not to be intimidated by the other students and teachers. When my name was finally called, I was so frightened, I nearly froze up. But I made my way forward and had the Sorting Hat put on my head. I could hear a voice…

"'_Well now, this is quite the conundrum. Plenty of courage, a very sharp mind, you know the value of hard work and you've got a fair share of ambition. You'd do well in all four Houses if given the chance, there's no doubt about that. But you can only be in one, that's the conundrum. The question isn't where you should be placed, it's where you __**want **__to be placed.'_

"I then thought, _'well, I guess I'd like to be in Ravenclaw.'_

"'_Are you sure?' _the voice asked, _'once you're in, there's no going back, you're in for life.'_ I then thought, _'yes,' _and then the hat shouted _'RAVENCLAW!' _and there I've been ever since."

"Cool story," said Kairi, "have anyone else been through a Sorting like that?"

"Not where they had the potential for all four houses," said Tara, "at least not recently."

"I was a sure in for Slytherin," said Cordelia, "so was Ryo and pretty much everyone else in our house. And the weird and stupid thing is that we're all Purebloods."

"Really?" Sora asked.

"The whole lot of us for a thousand years or so," said Cordelia, "every since the beginning. Salazar Slytherin had a…preference for Purebloods. He felt that Muggleborn witches and wizards had no business learning magic, which lead to him leaving the school. He left a horrific parting gift hidden in the castle, but that's another story."

"The whole argument of Pureblood vs. Muggleborn is just stupid and irresponsible," said Tara.

"You won't get any argument from me," said Malcolm, "Magic is magic, no matter what kind of blood you've got."

"Exactly," said Tara, "if you've got the talent, then who cares about blood?" She then looked at her watch, her eyes widening in surprise, "good grief! We're going to be late for class! I'm due for Numerology and you need to be in History of Magic, and believe me, you don't want to miss that class!"

By some miracle, Sora and the others made it to their next class just in time, while Tara headed for a shortcut she knew.

"Well," said Professor Connor in a slightly annoyed but amused tone as Sora, Kairi, Riku, Aiden, Tess, Malcolm, Roxas and Naminé, "you finding your way well here?"

"Oh, it's alright," said Aiden, "it'd be more helpful if the staircases didn't move so much."

"You'll get used to it," said Cordelia as she passed our heroes to join her fellow 4th year Slytherins. Sora and the others then sat in a few empty seats scattered across the classroom.

"Now," said Professor Connor as she stood in front of the blackboard and used her wand to make a piece of chalk write something, "last time we were all together, we were discussing the history of Tri-Wizard Tournament. Anyone care to enlighten our guests on just what The Tri-Wizard Tournament is?"

Cordelia raised her hand, "The Tri-Wizard Tournament," she said, "was a competition between the three great schools of magic in Europe; Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Every five years, representatives from two of the schools would visit the third, the host school, where a single champion from each school would be chosen by The Goblet of Fire. The chosen champions would then participate in three Tasks, each one a dangerous and potentially deadly challenge."

"Precisely," said Professor Connor, "five points to Slytherin. Over the years, the Tournament Tasks had become unreasonably life threatening, with the champions facing increasingly vicious and deadly monsters, having to make their way though nearly impossible obstacle courses involving advanced charms, enchantments, vicious monsters and so on, and were pushed to their physical, mental and emotional limits.

"How deadly are we talking about?" Aiden asked.

Several hands then shot up and Professor Connor called on a boy, "Deadly enough for the Tournament to be canceled indefinitely in 1792."

"Another five to Slytherin," said Professor Connor, "now, as you were, Ms. Greenfield."

Cordelia then continued, "several attempts were made to bring back the Tournament, but it wasn't held again until 1994, with Hogwarts as the host school. This tournament was the first and only one held in the 20th century, mostly due to the forthcoming war with the dark forces. But this Tournament is quite possibly the most famous and infamous one of them all."

"For many reasons," said Professor Connor, "take five more points. Yes, the Tournament of '94 is the most remembered for many reasons. First of all, it was the first and only Tournament with four Champions, with the fourth being the youngest. Professor Dumbledore, Professor Maxime of Beauxbatons and Professor Karkoff of Durmstrang, as well as representatives of The Ministry of Magic had put an age restriction on The Tournament. No one underage could enter their names in The Goblet of Fire without suffering rather humiliating consequences. But something that not even Professor Dumbledore anticipated happened. And what was that?"

Several students raised their hands and Professor Connor called on a girl, "Harry Potter was selected as the fourth Champion."

"Indeed," said Professor Connor, "another five. Yes, Harry Potter, whom was a 4th year at the time, just like you lot, had his name placed in The Goblet of Fire and made the fourth Champion, albeit against his own will and awareness. But who were the other three Champions?"

"Viktor Crum of Durmstrang," said one of the Slytherins, "Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons and Cedric Diggery of Hogwarts."

Sora then noticed that Professor Connor blinked several times at the mention of Cedric Diggery, but she continued, "another five. Yes, these were the four Champions. Each one did extraordinary well during the three Tasks, which had to be rearranged at the last moment to accommodate the fourth Champion. Yet despite the nearly impossible challenges he faced, Harry Potter survived them all moderately unscathed and was in position to win the third Task and claim victory in the tournament…when…?"

Cordelia then raised her hand and spoke in a somewhat nervous tone, "when it was revealed that the whole thing was a plot by the Dark Lord Voldemort." At that, Sora and the others noticed that most of the Slytherin students in the room shuddered at the name.

When Professor Connor failed to reply, Cordelia elaborated on her answer, "The Dark Lord had initiated a conspiracy to manipulate Harry Potter into winning the tournament. The Tri-Wizard Cup, the tournament trophy, had been charmed into a Portkey," she looked at Sora and the others, "which is any object charmed into transporting a wizard from one location to another. This particular Portkey brought Harry Potter, as well as Cedric Diggery, to a prearranged location where The Dark Lord used Harry in a dark magic ritual that restored Lord Voldemort's body and powers. Cedric Diggery was murdered, but Harry survived to bring his body back to Hogwarts and his family."

"Did you know Cedric Diggery, Professor Connor?" one of the Slytherin girls asked.

At that Professor Connor blinked several times again, but she answered, "yes, I did. We were…very good friends, and both Seekers on our respective house Quidditch teams. It pained me when he was murdered, and his memory is still celebrated in Hufflepuff house. Some say that Cedric Diggery was the first casualty of the new war against the dark forces, which can be debated since others had been murdered by Voldemort, while others had died on his orders, during his return to power."

"Excuse me, Professor," said one of the Slythrine boys, "but what is the point of this bit of history? Yes, He Who Must Not Be Named returned to power, a lot of people died on both sides of the war, then he was destroyed for good. What's the importance of all these details?"

Sora and the others could tell that this was a student wasn't too happy to be in this particular class.

"All history is important," said Professor Connor, "for when we forget the past, we're doomed to repeat it. There are many things we can learn about this part of wizarding history. When then Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge tried to cover up the murder of Cedric Diggery as an 'unfortunate accident,' he set in motion what would become 'The Fudge Fiasco,' in which his own selfish desire to remain in office made Fudge keep the truth of Voldemort's return to power a secret for a whole year and gave The Death Eaters the freedom to grow stronger and stronger, while Albus Dumbledore and his own group, The Order of The Phoenix, were blocked at every turn from doing something to stop the enemy. This also lead to the rise of Dumbledore's Army. And who can tell me about that?"

"Dumbledore's Army," said one of the Slytherin Girls, "lead by Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, were twenty-five students from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, whom defied the corrupt, irresponsible and downright stupid tyranny of Delores Umbridge, by gathering together to learn true Defense Against The Dark Arts. Dumbledore's Army, the D.A., fought the dark forces many times during and after war, especially during The Battle of Hogwarts."

"Take another five," said Professor Connor as she smiled in a satisfied manner, "you see, this moment is history, The Tri-Wizard Tournament of '94, is a prime example of what wizards and Muggles call The Butterfly Effect. One moment in time triggers bigger and grander events in the future. If Voldemort hadn't rigged the tournament, then he wouldn't have returned to power when he did, Fudge wouldn't have made such a mess of himself and subsequencely voted out of office, Dumbledore wouldn't have been murdered, The Battle of Hogwarts wouldn't have taken place, Voldemort not defeated once and for all, the discovery of The Sign, the alliance between the wizarding world and the BPRD, and so one and so forth, and all the events in between, despite how minute and irreverent they may seem."

"Sign?" Sora asked, "What sign?"

At that all the Slytherins all laughed quietly, even Cordelia gave a stifled giggle.

"That's enough of that," said Professor Connor. She then looked at Sora and the others in a manner that said she would explain later, then continued her lecture.

"One event set in motion a chain of bigger events. That and so much more is why we need to remember the past, to remember history, so we can learn from the mistakes and successes, from the triumphs and tragedies, to make a better, brighter future," she then looked at the 4th year Slytherins, focusing on the ones whom were looking like they weren't happy to be in this class, "which is why you're here in History of Magic, a lesson you should have learned during your first year at Hogwarts, and if you still need to learn that lesson, then perhaps you shouldn't be here.

"Fortunately, you've only the rest of this year and one more before you can drop this class. No doubt that many will modify their schedules after their O.W.L.'s, but I hope that I will have impressed upon you all the importance of where we came from and where we're going. You don't need a crystal ball to make a reasonable prediction about the future."

Sora and the others happened to agree with Professor Connor. The rest of the lesson proceeded without incident and it was soon time to head back to the Great Hall for dinner.

"Homework," said Professor Connor just before the students left the classroom, "write a 1000 word essay on The Tri-Wizard Tournament and your opinions as to whether or not it should be brought back again."

"With extra credit on how to improve security measures during the Tournament?" one of the Slytherin boys asked.

"It couldn't hurt," said Professor Connor.

"That'd be something to see," said Kairi as she and the others packed up the notes they took in class, adding them to the notes they took from the earlier classes, "a new Tri-Wizard Tournament."

"It'd be better than Blitz Ball," said Riku.

"Don't let Tidus and Wakka hear that," said Aiden, "they'd might just break your bones on general principal."

"I still don't get how you play Blitz Ball," said Malcolm, "I understand that it's underwater, but how do you breathe there?"

"I still don't get it either," said Tess, "and I'm still trying to get my head around Quidditch."

"You'll pick it up easily enough," said Professor Connor, "you can say whatever you like about your sports, but there's just no comparison to Quidditch, best in the world," she then smiled mischievously to our heroes, "and between you and me, this year is Ravenclaw's year to win The Quidditch Cup. Gryffindor and Slytherin have been bouncing it back and forth between them for decades, with Gryffindor holding the cup four years in a row now. But this is Ravenclaw's time."

"With all due respect, Professor Connor," said Cordelia, whom had stayed behind to walk with Sora and the others to dinner, "but this is Slytherin's year to win the cup. Professor Slughorn has been pressuring our team to finally get serious about it, as if we hadn't been serious about Quidditch from the beginning."

"Well, Ravenclaw has been serious about it too," said Professor Connor, "as are Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. Now, shouldn't you be running to the Great Hall for dinner? I hear that Andrew Carpenter has prepared a new casserole."

"Oh, we can't miss that," said Cordelia eagerly. She then looked at Sora and the others with urgent eyes, "we've got to get down to dinner before it's all eaten up!"

"You don't have to tell me twice," said an eager Aiden, "that feast last night was fantastic! I've got to learn his secrets!"

"Wait, what about The Sign?" Sora asked, "what's that all about?"

"It's a long story," said Professor Connor, "a very long story, and nothing would make me happier than to sit down with you all and talk about it," she then looked at her watch, "but I've got a lot of work to do; papers to grade and lessons to plan out," she looked at Cordelia, "but Ms. Greenfield would be more than happy to tell you the tale."

"Me?" Cordelia asked, "why…?"

"Consider it an extra curricular activity," said Professor Connor, "as well as a chance for you and the rest of the welcoming committee to better know our guests from another world."

"Alright, Professor," said Cordelia, "but it's going to take a while, my friends and I will have to stay up after curfew in order to do the tale justice."

"You'll have permission to use one of the empty classrooms after dinner," said Professor Connor, "I'll have to clear it with the Headmistress, but it shouldn't be a problem."

"I'll tell the others," said Cordelia. She then looked at Sora and the others, "last one to the Great Hall is a rotten dragon egg!"

"The hell I am!" said Aiden. With that he and the others ran out of the room.

* * *

Dinner consisted of a tortellini casserole with sun dried tomatoes, basil, peas and carrots with a perfectly grilled steak.

"I've got to hand it to Andrew Carpenter," said Cass to Kairi, whom was sitting with the Ravenclaws, "he may be a Yankee lunatic, but he's a hell of a chef!"

"Just don't let him hear you call him a madman," said Tara, "he might just add extra salt to your next dish."

"How can he know which plate is mine?" Cass asked.

"Trust me," said Tara in a serious tone, "he will know."

"Where is Andrew?" Tess asked, "I had hoped we'd get to talk to him."

"He's in the kitchen with the House Elves," said Kylie as she and Alison walked over, "haven't you noticed the incredible smells drifting through the castle?"

"I have been smelling BBQ," said Sora as he walked over, "I hope we'll get a chance to have some. I don't know how long we're going to be here, honestly."

"As long as it takes to get the full Hogwarts experience," said Kairi, "so, what's up for tomorrow?"

"Double Potions with the Gryffindor and Slytherin 5th years in the morning," said Malcolm as he checked the schedule that Professor Dumbledore gave them.

"You'll like Professor Slughorn," said Ryo as he and Cordelia walked over, "with all due respect to the honorable dead, he's a much nicer and likable teacher than Severus Snape."

"What's his story?" Aiden asked.

"It's a long story," said Cordelia, "but it's going to have to wait, there's another long story that's going to be told tonight. I got the okay from Professor McGonagall; we have full use of one of the empty classrooms tonight, for as long as we need it."

"Which long story are we going to tell?" Lancaster asked as he walked over, "the one about The Chamber of Secrets? Or the one about The Half Blood Prince?"

"It's about The Sign," said Cordelia.

"Oh, that one!" said Lancaster eagerly, "I'll go tell everyone and we'll meet you there!" with that he rushed to tell the rest of the welcoming committee.

"Is it really that good of a story?" Riku asked.

"It's quite the mystery that's been stumping students, professors and historians for nearly twenty years," said Tara, "believe me, this is one story you don't want to miss."

"I can hardly wait," said Sora.

Shortly after dinner found the Keyblade Wielders and the welcoming committee in one of the unused classrooms.

"Just how many empty classrooms are there in Hogwarts?" Kairi asked as she and the others helped clean the dust off of several chairs.

"More than there are used," said Tara, "some of them are kept as spares in the event of a mishap."

"What kind of mishap?" Aiden asked.

"When a classroom suffers an accident in one manner or another," said Alison, "sometimes a spell backfires due to improper word pronunciation or wand movement."

"Or a potion is brewed wrong," said Ryo, "this one time, I accidentally brewed my sleeping draft a little too potent and it evaporated into a sleeping gas. The gas seeped into the walls of the dungeon and it took weeks to get it all out before the room could be safely used again," he blushed nervously, "not my finest moment."

"I once accidentally turned my desk into a three-headed boar and it tore the classroom apart," said Yasmine, "I was supposed to transfigure my desk into a sheep."

"Well, accidents are one thing," said Tara, "some classrooms are abandoned because they're simply too small, with larger ones added to the castle, and sometimes they're just…lost."

"How can you lose an entire room?" Roxas asked in an exasperated tone.

"Bigger things have been lost in this school," said Kylie, "and found. One of these days we'll tell you about The Room of Requirement."

"That's an entire evening of storytelling in itself," said Tara as she and everyone else finished cleaning their chairs. She then frowned at the chairs, "no, this isn't going to work. These chairs are at least from 50 years ago, way to austere…and rather uncomfortable, totally unacceptable for storytelling." She then waved her wand and all the chairs were replaced with overstuffed chairs of various designs and colors.

"Much better," said Tara with a satisfied smile.

"Still planning to go into fashion and home decor after graduation?" Yasmine asked, "or are you still going into The Ministry?"

"The Ministry is a job," said Tara, "making ones home and ones self looking fantastic is a career."

Everyone then sat down and the story began.

"It was after The Battle of Hogwarts," said Tara, "while the whole wizarding word was celebrating the final defeat of Voldemort. The survivors at Hogwarts and the freed Ministry of Magic had started to repair the damage done to the castle. If memory serves me correctly, it was Michael Connor, future husband of then Cho Chang, whom first discovered a strange symbol, inscribed on the outside wall of the castle proper."

Tara then used a quill to draw on a piece of parchment a heart inside a decagram inside a circle. Between the decagram and the circle were several small runes. She then showed the symbol to Sora and the others.

"No one had any idea what the symbol was or who carved it," said Tara, "but it was determined that the symbol was part of the original construction of Hogwarts, and that a thousand years of weather and muck had covered it up, only to be uncovered during the intense fighting of the battle."

"I'm not surprised that such a thing was forgotten," said Aiden, "on my world, the capital city of Central was built over the ruins of a lost civilization."

"And Meridian was built over The Infinite City," said Tess, "seriously, that underground maze went on forever."

"I'll bet," said Tara, "anyway, as repairs to the castle progressed, another symbol, identical to the first, was found on the North Tower, and then another on Gryffindor Tower, then one on the inner curtain wall. Further investigation revealed that the symbol had been carved in dozens of places outside, and then dozens more throughout the castle interior; the dungeons, the main hall and Great Hall, many classrooms and even in the dormitories. There's over a hundred known locations of the symbol throughout Hogwarts."

"Professor Connor, then still Cho Chang, was among the first to investigate the mystery of the symbol," said Cass, "as well as Angelina Johnson, Neville Longbottom, and Hermione Granger, soon to be Hermione Weasley.

"She and the other curious minds went over every book in the library for any hint of what the symbol was. Yet in all of the thousands of volumes and scrolls in the library, which miraculously survived the battle with only a few books lost, there was no reference of the symbol."

"None, except for one," said Ryo, "The old librarian, Madam Pince, had a portion of the library separate from the rest of the books where only teachers and certain privileged students could get into. This was a section even more restricted than The Restricted Section, not because the books and scrolls dealt in dark magic, but because they were the oldest pages in the library, some of them dating back hundreds of years before the four founders were born.

"These pages dealt in ancient magic and words in languages that were all but forgotten, as well as extremely rare and fragile tomes. It was in one of these tomes, a first edition of Hogwarts: A History, dating from 1350 AD, that the first and only definite clue was found."

Tara then used her wand to summon an image of a old page of parchment, and on that parchment was a drawing taken from a woodcarving. The image was that of the Four Founders, Godric Gryffindor, Helena Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin, as well as half a dozen other people, all of them standing around a large stone rectangle, and on that rectangle was the symbol. Beneath the image was a caption written in a language that Sora and the others couldn't understand.

"It's old Gaelic," said Tara, "and a rare dialect at that. It took a while but it was translated. It reads, '…and they gathered around The Sign of The Sacred Heart…'"

"The Sign of The Sacred Heart," said Kairi.

"But what does it mean?" Sora asked.

"Haven't you been paying attention?" Nathanael asked, "no one knows what it is!"

"We've helped go over every single book in the school library," said Alison, "and we're only the latest of searchers. For nearly twenty years we and other searchers have gone over every scrap of paper in Hogwarts and only that drawing and caption, on that one page, in that one old book, is the only clue that has ever been found."

"We've even had help from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, as well as pretty much every major and minor school of magic in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas."

"Every magical historical group in the world was called in for consultation," said Tara, "every historian, archeologist and scholar in the wizarding world was asked about The Sign of The Sacred Heart, yet no one had any answers."

"Then it's a dead end," said Riku in a matter of fact tone.

"Not as long as we keep hope," said Cass, "we know that The Sign exists, that it wasn't just graffiti made by the original builders of the castle. We know that it involved the Four Founders, so the answers are still out there."

"But after twenty years of dead ends…" said Malcolm.

"The Sign waited over a millennium to be rediscovered," said Yasmine, "what's twenty years? What's twenty more? Or another thousand years? As long as we keep hope, as long as there are curious minds seeking the truth, then there will still be a desire to solve the mystery of The Sign."

At that Sora and the others looked at each other in silent discussion.

"I think," said Kairi to Tara, "that while we're here, if we can, we'll help solve the mystery of The Sign."

"We've solved mysteries before," said Sora.

"With even less clues," said Aiden, "and those were on good days."

"I'd hate to see a bad day for Keyblade Wielders," said Ryo.

"For us, a bad day means the end of a world," said Tess, "or worse."

"Do we even want to know how worse it can be?" Kylie asked.

"You'd probably have nightmares if we told you," said Riku.

"On the other hand," said Roxas, "when we do win, which is way more often than not, and we save a world from the darkness, it's worth all the effort."

"Even if it means getting the crap beat out of you," said Aiden, "and doing stuff that would drive a normal person half out of their mind."

"Name one insane thing," Cordelia asked in a daring tone.

"Beside traveling to different worlds to fight creatures of living darkness?" Kairi asked.

"And meeting all sorts of strange, bizarre and great people," said Riku.

"We've gone to different versions of the same world," said Sora.

"And traveled through time," said Aiden, "we've been to the future, while I've gone way, way back into the past and helped destroy a trans-galactic empire."

"Now that sounds mad," said Alison. At that the other witches and wizards laughed.

Our heroes and their new friends spent the next hour talking, swapping stories of adventure and personal lives. Before everyone knew it, it was well past midnight.

"Good lord, look at that!" said Tara as she looked at her watch, "time sure flies when having fun."

"We'd better get to bed," said Cass, "my team has Quidditch practice tomorrow."

"So does mine," said Kylie in a slightly annoyed tone.

"What?" Cass asked, "no way! We booked the pitch for tomorrow afternoon!"

"My team has the pitch tomorrow afternoon!" said Kylie, "I'll talk to Hagrid!"

"And I'll talk to Professor Flitwick!" said Cass, "and Madam Hootch! I'll go straight to Professor McGonagall if I have to!"

"Not if I talk to her first!" said Kylie. With that the two of them ran out of the room.

"I've got a feeling that this will not end well," said Riku.

"You're not wrong," said Tara, "one thing I've learned is that us Hogwarts students take our Quidditch seriously."

"Every witch and wizard in our world takes it seriously," said Alison, "the Americans don't like it as much, but they've got some die-hard fans."

"Is it really that great?" Aiden asked.

"The best there is!" said Nathanial, "there's no way you guys can go back to your world without seeing it."

"But the next match isn't for another two weeks," said Yasmine.

"But we can have an exhibition match," said Tara in a contemplative tone, "one that won't have any influence on the school tournament. It'll be just for fun, and for the benefit of our new friends."

"But when can it be done?" Alison asked, "tomorrow's Friday, and Saturday's a Hogsmead trip."

"How about Sunday?" Cordelia asked.

"Sunday," said Tara, "I think that may work. I'll speak to Professor McGonagall about it in the morning, but yes, I think it may just work," she looked at Sora and the others, "you guys are in for a rare treat. If I'm right, this will be a match you won't soon forget!"

"We can hardly wait," said Sora.

A short time later found our heroes back in the guest quarters.

"Remind me what we've got for tomorrow?" Aiden asked.

"Double Potions in the morning," said Kairi, "followed by Care of Magical Creatures after lunch, then Defense Against The Dark Arts."

"Now that I'm looking forward to," said Malcolm, "from what I've heard, the teaching position for that class was cursed."

"No teacher held the job for more than a year," said Riku, "at least until Voldemort was killed."

"We'll find it out tomorrow," said Sora. He then yawned deeply, "I don't know about you, but I'm bushed."

"You're not alone," said Riku.

They all soon were ready for bed and soon after that were fast asleep.

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion…**

"You sure this was a good idea?" Dio Brando asked as he and Xehanort stood on a balcony overlooking a wide courtyard, one filled with all sorts of lethal training equipment. Down there was Insano, checking some equipment, while Gaston and Lefou waited close by, a look of annoyed impatience on Gaston's face.

"I'm serious," said Dio Brando, "it's bad enough that we've got to work with that woman, but to let her and her cabal into our territory? Isn't that going a little too far?"

"I agree," said Sephiroth as he stood to one side, "Maleficent isn't to be trusted, and the other two with her are just as devious."

"Oh come now, gentlemen," said Xehanort, "we have a mutual agreement with the mistress of all evil. I admit that I don't fully trust her, while there's no doubt that she doesn't fully trust me. But there's no reason we can't be civil about this, is there? Maleficent invited us to her home to meet The Puppeteer. It's simple courtesy to invite her to our home."

"I still don't like it," said Dio Brando as he irately crossed his arms, "this is a waste of time! We don't need Maleficent. We didn't even need Insano and his pet projects. We were doing just fine without him, and we'll do just fine without anyone else!"

"What are you implying?" Sephiroth asked as he walked over.

"I'm saying that we should cut Insano lose and forget about any further workings with Maleficent and her cabal!" said Dio Brando, "just turn them away at the front door, and kick Insano, Gaston and the midget out, and let the door hit them on the way."

"An amusing idea," said Xehanort, "but you'll have to do more to convince me."

"We can take care of the Keyblade Brats and the Realms of Light all by ourselves," said Dio Brando, "just the three of us."

"A triumvirate," said Sephiroth.

"Exactly," said Dio Brando, "the three of us are evil enough to take on anything. We don't need pompous, self-centered floozies like Maleficent and her fellow dark bitches, and certainly not degenerates like Insano."

"You certainly have a high opinion of yourselves and others," said Xehanort.

"I have my own fetishes," said Dio Brando, "and other…eccentricities. But Insano is on a whole other level. But the point is that _we don't need him_!"

"Unfortunately, we do," said Xehanort, "as well as Maleficent."

"Why?" Dio Brando insisted in an irate tone, "they can't be essential to your plan to make the X-Blade. Just find Ventus, rip his heart out of Sora, stick it back in Ven, bring back Vanitus and smoosh the two of them together. You don't need anyone else for that, so what else are you doing?"

"I think we have a right to know what you're up to," said Sephiroth, "you've been saying that we should be patient and that your plans will be revealed in due time. Well, I think that my dark comrade and I have been patient long enough."

"Yeah," said Dio Brando, "so what the hell is the plan?"

"Do you really want to know?" Xehanort asked, "do you really think you're ready for the truth?"

"I think we've earned that right," said Dio Brando.

"Very well," said Xehanort, "I'll tell you." he then checked his watch, "it'll have to be a brief summary, for our lady friends are due to arrive in a few minutes."

"I'll accept any explanation," said Sephiroth, "for the moment."

"Yeah, you owe us the bigger details later," said Dio Brando, "so what's the story already?"

"It's quite simple, my friends," said Xehanort, "the _X_-Blade and Kingdom Hearts are only the beginning. First of all, I've taken measures to ensure my survival in any outcome."

"How?" Sephiroth asked.

"Organization XIII," said Xehanort, "when I was young Xehanort, I allied myself with many of Ansem's students, as well as a few warriors, to bring about a greater darkness. The end result was…beyond what I expected, and I found myself split in two; the Heartless Ansem and the Nobody Xemnes; two separate but equal masters of the dark. Had we met face to face, then my Heartless and Nobody would have destroyed each other.

"Fortunately for the both of us, Sora was our undoing, resulting in my return. The other members of Organization XIII, minus the traitors Axel and Roxas, even though the other ten are destroyed, they are still mine and I can resurrect them as I please.

"What I will do with them is something that will have to wait. As to the bigger picture, let us just say that I have a plan that will force The Realms of Light and beyond to submit to me, or risk oblivion."

"I should have figured you'd be after that," said Dio Brando as he smiled viciously, "you want everything!"

"And here I thought I was ambitious," said Sephiroth, "becoming the god of a single world was enough to satisfy me, for the time being. But you, Xehanort, you wish to be the overlord of all worlds, of all dimensions, of all realities, of time and space itself!"

"And I will have it," said Xehanort, "I shall transcend time and space and become all powerful, and no one, not the Keyblade Wielders, not Maleficent, not even the powers of light themselves, shall stand in my way!"

"How unfortunate," said Maleficent as she, Regina and Lady Tremaine, appeared in front of Xehanort, Dio Brando and Sephiroth, "that you shall fail."

"How long have you been spying on us?" Sephiroth demanded.

"For quite some time," said Maleficent, "but as for this instance, long enough to know that the old one is plotting something too ambitious for him."

"Is that so?" Xehanort asked.

"It is so," said Maleficent. She walked right up to Xehanort and glared up at him, for in her current body, Maleficent was a few inches shorter than him despite his gaunt, hunched stature, "you may have a plan to dominate all, but it shall be I whom shall emerge mistress of time and space."

"We shall see," said Xehanort, "we shall see. Now, shall we begin testing the abilities of our friends."

"Yes," said Maleficent, "let us begin."

**The end of chapter 2.**

_Next chapter finds Gaston and Lady Tremaine getting the hang of their new dark powers, while at Hogwarts, Sora and the others continue learning, only to have trouble fall right in their laps once again. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time! _


	3. Chapter 3: Tests, Potions and Surprises

Last time found Sora and the gang settling in to their visit at Hogwarts. They sat in on several classes, learning quite a bit about magic and its history, as well as stumbling upon a mystery that dated back to the original construction of Hogwarts; The Sign of the Sacred Heart, a mysterious symbol that is somehow connected to The Four Founders. For twenty years, ever since its discovery after The Battle of Hogwarts, many, many wizards had sought to solve they mystery of The Sign to no avail, but now our heroes have decided to take a crack at it.

Meanwhile, Xehanort and Maleficent decided to move ahead with their nefarious plans by having Gaston and Lady Tremaine test out their new powers. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 3: Tests, Potions and Surprises**

**…Castle Oblivion…**

"Now," said Xehanort, "where shall we begin? Whom shall we test first?"

"Permit me the honor, Xehanort," said Lady Tremaine. Without warning, she leapt off of the balcony and landed in the courtyard below with the grace of a cat landing on its feet.

"How intriguing," said Xehanort as he, Sephiroth, Dio Brando, Regina and Maleficent, watched Lady Tremaine strut towards Insano and Gaston.

"Whatever tests you have prepared," said Lady Tremaine to the mad scientist, "begin them now! I shall master them all!"

"Excuse me?" Gaston asked in an irate tone, "I was here first, therefore I'll be the one to take the trials!"

"Well put," said Insano. He then focused his goggles on Lady Tremaine, "besides, I'm not quite ready for either of you just yet."

"Then hurry up!" snapped Lady Tremaine, "I do not have all day!"

"Neither do I," said Gaston, "it's been more than a full day since you modified my body. I've adapted enough, so now I'm ready to see what I can do!"

"As am I!" said Lady Tremaine, "so begin the tests!"

"You heard them!" snapped Lefou, "start the tests!"

"I'll start them when I'm good an ready," said Insano, "so take a hike, you little goblin!"

"Do as he says, Lefou," said Gaston, "go sit somewhere."

"But…" said Lefou.

"Just do it!" snapped Gaston, "I'm not in the mood to argue, so go sit!"

Looking like he had just been insulted and embarrassed, Lefou walked over to a nearby chair at the far end of the courtyard.

"Now that that's out of the way," said Insano. He then looked at Gaston and Lady Tremaine, "you wish to be tested?" he asked as he smiled wickedly, "fine, I'll test you!" without warning he aimed his gloved hands at the two villains and shot finger lasers at them.

The mad scientist giggled like the lunatic he was as Gaston and Lady Tremaine were forced to dodge the deadly beams, easily clearing the bolts as if they were moving in slow motion.

"Good, good," said Insano as he ceased firing his finger beams, then brought up a clipboard and began writing some notes, "speed and agility increased to satisfactory levels and beyond."

"Are you as insane as your name implies!?" exclaimed Lady Tremaine.

"Naturally," giggled Insano.

"If you do that again, I'll break your bones!" snapped Gaston.

"No you won't," said Insano in a nonchalant tone, "now, for the next test. Strength and endurance." he then spoke into a small communicator device, "computer! Activate gravity field!"

Both Gaston and Lady Tremaine then gasped in shock as the gravity around them doubled. They staggered as their weight was increased, yet maintained their footing.

"Two gravities…good," said Insano as he wrote onto his clipboard, "increase to three."

Both villains grunted as more weight was thrown upon them. They still stood upright, but sweat was beginning to break out on their foreheads.

"He's pushing them to their limits," said Sephiroth.

"But what are those limits?" Regina asked, "how much can our comrades endure?"

"I have a feeling that our lunatic friend is going to find out," said a viciously grinning Dio Brando, "no matter the cost."

"Enough of this tomfoolery," said Insano, "computer…increase to five gravities."

At that Gaston and Lady Tremaine gasped in pain and nearly lost their footing.

"Increase to seven," said Insano.

By now both Gaston and Lady Tremaine were forced to one knee, sweat pouring off their bodies as they struggled to remain at least partly upright.

"Let's crank things up!" said Insano in a deranged tone, "increase to eleven!"

This forced the two villains nearly flat on their faces. They managed to catch themselves, remaining a few inches off of the ground by just their hands, but after a few seconds they collapsed, completely pinned to the ground by their own increased weight.

"Endured eleven gravities for 5.38 seconds," said Insano as he wrote onto his clipboard, "not too shabby."

"Aren't you forgetting something, doctor?" Xehanort asked from the balcony.

"Forget?" Insano asked as he looked at the clipboard, "no…everything is on schedule, I haven't foregone any steps in the testing, and…" he then looked and saw that both Gaston and Lady Tremaine were still pinned to the ground by gravity.

"Oh, how silly of me," said Insano, "computer, deactivate gravity field."

The two villains gasped in relief as their weights returned to normal.

"Well now, that was interesting," said Insano as a service droid brought over some towels and Gatorade, while another droid helped Gaston and Lady Tremaine back up.

"Remind we why we have to endure you and your madness?" Lady Tremaine asked as she took a towel from the droid and wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Because without me, none of this would have been possible," said Insano, "now drink up and get rehydrated, you'll need all your wits for the next test."

"No, we're not doing this anymore!" snapped Gaston, "I knew you couldn't be trusted!"

"I agree," said Lady Tremaine, "this has been a waste of time, and a serious risk to our lives."

"Oh come on," said Insano, "there's no reason to walk out of the tests before you've finished!"

"With all due respect, doctor," said Xehanort, "but all we've seen is you pushing the nerves of our friends here."

"They are better than they were before," said Maleficent, "stronger, faster, a higher level of endurance, yes, they are better, but I wish to see what new powers they have!"

"Do they have magic or psychic abilities?" Regina asked, "or some other kind of power?"

"Don't keep us in suspense, you maniac!" snapped Dio Brando, "we want to see the goods!"

"Very well," said Insano as he looked at his clipboard, "I did plan to run a few more tests, just to see how weight they can lift, how far they can run, how many Heartless they can rip apart in five minutes…but," he then ripped off several pages on the clipboard and threw them away, "but, we can skip all that riffraff and get right to the fun part…figuring out what new powers they have."

"No, we're not doing that!" snapped Gaston, "this has gone far enough! I've had enough of all of this! I'm leaving!"

"Just a moment," said Lady Tremaine in a contemplative tone, "aren't you curious at all as to our new abilities?"

"You may be," said Gaston, "but as long as I'm able to run, jump, hunt, use a bow and arrow again, I'm perfectly capable of getting my revenge on Belle and Beast!"

"You'll need more than hunting skills and a new body to take on that animal," said Insano, "so don't even think about leaving before you try out your new powers."

"Listen to me, you goggle-wearing freak!" snapped Gaston, "I do what I want, go wherever I want, do whatever I want, whenever I want, to whomever or whatever I want, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" With that he turned his back on the mad scientist and headed for the door that would take him back into the castle proper.

"Would you kindly come back here and listen to your doctor?" Insano asked in an annoyed tone as he crossed his arms.

All of a sudden, Gaston stopped in his tracks, turned around and walked back to Insano. "Alright," said Gaston, "I'll listen, but I don't have to like it."

"Just that you listen," said Insano. "now, we _are_ going to do this. You are going to explore your new powers, which I'm sure you'll enjoy most explicitly."

"And why should he when he doesn't want to?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"Let's just say it will be in his best interests to learn his new powers," said Insano, "the mutation to his body did more than just make him a new man among men. His body is now producing incredible amounts of energies that need to be spent, otherwise they'll continue to build up more and more. Eventually his energies will react with his molecular structure, which will go critical. The physics involved would turn your heads upside down, but needless to say, that unless Gaston expels those energies on a regular basis, preferably through his new powers, he'll explode."

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Gaston. He then ran up to Insano and grabbed the madman by his lab coat lapels, "You'd better undo whatever you did to me, or I'll…!"

"You'll do no such thing," said Insano, "you will do as I say! Before I found you in that hospital, you were nothing, a washed-up has been, and you would have remained that way for the rest of your natural life. Do you want to go back to that? A has been?"

At that Gaston relaxed and released the lunatic, "no, I…but that's still no excuse for setting me up to explode!"

"You won't if you allow yourself to experience your new powers," said Insano, "would you kindly listen to reason?!"

At that Gaston calmed down even further, "I'll listen."

"If you discharge all that energy in regular exercises," said Insano, "as well as pounding your enemies into dust, you'll be safe from exploding."

"Will I explode?" Lady Tremaine asked, "I certainly have no desire to die in such an unseemly manner." She then looked up at Maleficent, "well?"

"Your death won't be from an explosion of energy," said Maleficent, "however, I cannot guarantee that the opposite won't be your undoing."

"Opposite?" Sephiroth asked.

"Instead of building up energies," said Maleficent, "the potion that changed Lady Tremaine is slowly consuming her from within." She glared down at Lady Tremaine, "have you realized it yet, the emptiness growing in your heart?"

At that Lady Tremaine placed her hand over her heart and gasped in shock.

"Yes, it has already begun," said Maleficent, "your own inner darkness is now devouring you from the inside out. There is only one means to fill this emptiness; pain. You must use your new powers to inflict pain and suffering and take all of that negativity to make it your own."

"Inflicting misery," said Lady Tremaine in a thoughtful manner, "yes…yes, that I can do. Darkness knows I've had plenty of practice on Cinderella."

"I can arrange a proper test for that," said Insnao. He then pulled out his PDA and activated an app.

A dozen humanoid robots, six male and six female, all of them looking very much like authentic human beings, all wearing blue jumpsuits, were brought in.

"These androids have been programmed to feel human emotion and experience pain," said Insano, "we'll see what our lady friend can do and gauge the misery of the androids."

"Very well," said Lady Tremaine. She then glared at the androids, but then frowned in confusion. She then looked up at Maleficent, "what do I do now?"

"Just do what feels natural to you," said Maleficent.

Lady Tremaine then looked at the androids again, held up her right hand and, after closing her eyes in concentration, produced a venomous purple beam of energy that shone on the humanoid robots.

The reactions of the androids were horrific, to say the least. Two of the male androids cried out in horror at an unseen phantom, while three of the females collapsed to their knees, tears of despair flowing from their eyes. The remaining four male androids were overcome with anger and began tearing each other apart, while two of the remaining females were verbally insulting the last one, whom was also on her knees, crying.

"Outstanding!" said a wickedly smiling Maleficent, "our lady friend now has the power to bring out the worst of the human heart; fear, sorrow, hate and rage. She can enhance inner darkness and make it her own."

"Yes!" said Lady Tremaine as she smiled with vicious joy, "I can feel it, the emptiness in my heart is filling up! The darkness in the androids, it is exquisite!"

"Yes…yes, most satisfactory," said Insano as he made more notes on his clipboard, "now, let's see what Gaston can do."

The androids were then reset, ceasing their torments and they stood at attention.

"Just a few adjustments," said Insano as he activated a program on his PDA, causing the androids to increase in muscle mass and height, turning them into lethal killing machines.

"Now," said Insnao to Gaston, "destroy them, if you can!"

"Gladly," said Gaston. He then ran at the androids, whom then ran at him, while Lady Tremaine and Insano got out of the way. Gaston reached the androids, grabbed one of the males and ripped its head off. He then jumped out of the way of two more males and a female, only to grab one of the females and broke her neck.

Gaston then landed and his hands began glowing dark red. He then glared at the androids and pointed his hands at them, shooting beams of dark red energy at the humanoid machines. Three males and two females were vaporized instantly, while the rest managed to avoid the deadly rays.

Gaston then ripped off the arms of one of the females and snapped her neck, then crushed the heads of the last two males, then vaporized the last of the females with his death beams.

"Magnificent," said Insano as he jotted down more notes, "yes, this has been a successful experiment," he looked at Gaston, whom was standing among the remains of the androids in confusion, as if wondering what to do next.

"All you need to do now is just discharge your energies in regular exercises like this," said the madman. He then looked at Lady Tremaine, "and feed your emptiness, when you both aren't out in the field spreading pain and misery, death and destruction, wherever you go."

"Yes, and just when are we going to go out and wreck some havoc?" Gaston asked.

"As soon as we can conceive a proper stratagem," said Xehanort, "Hogwarts is a tough nut to crack, therefore we'll need a failsafe plan."

"One that will counter all the magical and physical protections that are over that castle," said Maleficent, "it will take some time, but it will be a plan that none of neither the Keyblade Wielders or the wizards will ever see coming!"

* * *

**…Hogwarts…**

Friday morning dawned cloudy with a slight chill in the air, no doubt a foreboding for Sora and the others as they left breakfast and headed down to the dungeons for Double Potions with the 5th year Gryffindors and Slytherins.

"Remember what we told you about Professor Slughorn," said Alison as she, Matthew and Ryo, walked with our heroes into the deeper levels of the castle, "he's a good person, but he'll try to make you part of his 'Slug Club.'"

"We don't need his help to be successful," said Kairi, "we're already famous in our universe."

"He'll still see your potential and try to influence you," said Ryo. "If old Sluggy has one weakness, he can't resist a chance to be the power behind a rising star."

"We'll keep that in mind," said Riku.

Potions class, as it turned out, turned out to be rather enjoyable for our heroes. They watched with curious eyes as the 5th year Gryffindors and Slytherins brewed up a complex, all-purpose antidote for poisons.

"This draft is most effective against nearly every known toxin in our world," said Professor Horace Slughorn, a short, moderately overweight man with a shinny, balding head and a silvery, walrus-like moustache. "And remember that the end result of a potions is just as important as the sum of its parts. Now, who can tell me Golpalott's Third Law?"

Several Slytherins and Gryffindors raised their hands, with Alison and Ryo raising their hands first. Professor Slughorn called on Ryo.

"'The antidote of a blended poison will be equal to more than the sum of the antidotes for each of the separate components,'" said Ryo.

"Excellent," said Professor Slughorn, "ten points to Slytherin. Now, what does it mean?"

Again, several Slytherins and Gryffindors raised their hands. Slughorn called on Alison now, "it means that when you figure out what goes into a blended poison, you have to figure out the equivalent antidote, and when you make a mixed antidote to counter a mixed potion, the antidote has to be the same relative mass or smaller than the poison. All in all, an antidote for a poison isn't always balanced out, but still effective."

"Too true," said Slughorn, "ten to Gryffindor. Yes, poisons and antidotes aren't always on the level," he then pulled out a small, shriveled brown object that looked like an oversized kidney bean, "as I learned the hard way from Harry Potter."

"Is it true, Professor Slughorn?" Matthew asked, "that Harry Potter saved Ron Weasley from a poison with just a bezoar?"

"Too true," said Slughorn again as he pocketed the brown thing, "yes, a bezoar is highly effective against the majority of poisons. The most complex of problems have the most simple of solutions, more often than not."

He then looked at Sora and the others, "I do hope you young heroes are taking notes."

"You'd better believe it, Professor Slughorn," said Aiden eagerly, whom had by now written more notes for this class than Sora, Riku, Kairi, Tess, Roxas and Naminé. Only Malcolm had come close.

"If I may be so bold to ask, Professor," said Malcolm as he pulled from his pocket a small notebook, "would you mind taking a look at this? I've been working on this formula for a while and would like a second opinion from such an experienced professional."

"You honor me with your inquiry, young man," said Slughorn as he walked over to Malcolm, whom had opened the notebook and showed it to him.

"Wait," said Malcolm, "sorry, my handwriting is…"

"I've been teaching for many years, my boy," said Slughorn, "I've seen the best and worst of penmanship. Trust me, your handwriting is no problem for these eyes." He then began reading the pages that Malcolm wrote.

"Is that the 'Quantum' potion that you told us about?" Sora asked.

"I thought you'd let me name it!" said Aiden.

"I said we would discuss the name together," said Malcolm, "and yes, it's the formula, what I've got so far."

"What's this now?" Alison asked.

"A restorative item that'll be more efficient and cheaper than the ones we've been using," said Kairi, "or so Malcolm says."

"It'll work," said Malcolm, "I've just got to get the formula right. So far as I can tell, it works on paper, but I haven't had much time to experiment recently, considering all the world saving that we've been doing." He then looked at Slughorn, "well? What do you think?"

Slughorn then handed the notebook back to Malcolm, "I think, my dear young man, that you have the makings of something brilliant."

"Really?" Malcolm asked, a hopeful smile on his face.

"I've been around enough to recognize genius when I see it," said Slughorn. He tapped the notebook, "your formula has the potential to not only make things easier for you and your fellow Keyblade Wielders in your deeds of heroics and valor, but also may save countless innocent lives."

"Really?" Malcolm asked in a curious tone, "I…I never thought about it that way."

"Yes, you can use your potion to help heal those in need," said Slughorn, "think of it, boy; your potion, curing illnesses, mending injuries and giving hope to those without hope. Your creation, giving life to those on the verge of death. Your creation will immortalize your name," he tapped the notebook, "and it's all here, waiting to be completed, like a caterpillar in a cocoon, just about ready to emerge as a butterfly, spread its wings and flap its way to glory!"

"Glory?" Malcolm asked, his eyes dazzling with inner stars at the thought of being hailed as a miracle worker. But then he blinked and shook his head, "wait, I think we're counting our chickens before they've hatched, Professor. The formula isn't even finished."

"Yes, there's still much work to be done, my boy," said Slughorn, "but you've taken several important steps towards something great. I can help you make more of those steps, but the final path must be taken by you and you alone."

"I…let's just focus on figuring out what's wrong with it," said Malcolm, "it's nowhere ready to be tested in real life."

"See what we told you?" Alison whispered to Sora and Kairi, "old Sluggy has found his rising star to boost."

"I'm kind of relieved," said Kairi, "as much as I like Professor Slughorn as a teacher, I really don't need anyone helping me be famous."

"I'm relieved and disappointed," said Aiden, "I mean…Malcolm? Why does he get to be a celebrity?"

"Because he invented something that you didn't," said Tess.

"I can come up with something original," said Aiden in an annoyed tone, "I've got all these Alchemic formula in my head that I've got no idea what to do with, but I don't need them to make something original. I can do that just fine without old Sluggy."

"At least old Sluggy is honest," said Ryo, "not like Gilderoy Lockhart. That man was a liar, a poser, an overbearing egotist and, from what I've heard, still a patient in the Permanent Spell Damage ward at St. Mungo's."

"What happened to him?" Sora asked.

"Lost his memory when he tried to wipe the minds of Harry and Ron," said Alison, "tried to use a Memory Charm with a defective wand, now he's got permanent amnesia."

"He deserved it," said Matthew, "he was a lying thief of memories and experiences who got exactly what he deserved. Poetic justice, that's what it was, poetic justice."

Malcolm then came over, grinning like the Cheshire Cat, "guys, I think I might actually be very close to getting my Quantum Potion ready."

"How close?" Sora asked.

"And don't call it that!" said Aiden, "at least until you hear my ideas."

"Well I'm all ears," said Malcolm in an annoyed tone.

At that Aiden was at a loss for words, "I don't have any right now, but that doesn't mean I can't think of any."

"Right," said Malcolm, "anyway, Professor Slughorn says that he can help me get the formula ready for human trials in the next few days."

"That soon?" Riku asked.

"We're going to get started right now," said Malcolm, "he's already scheduled to have lunch brought in here, as well as a few other of his Gifted and Talented students. We're all going to get started on it together!"

"Welcome to the Slug Club," sighed Alison.

The lesson soon ended and our heroes said goodbye to Malcolm, promising to meet up with him for Care of Magical Creatures. But as they finished up lunch, an owl landed in front of Sora and delivered a short letter from Malcolm.

"He says he's staying with Slughorn for the rest of the afternoon," said Sora as he read the letter, "he and the rest of the Slug Club have really hit it off and are really working hard on the potion."

"Just how many are in this Slug Club?" Riku asked.

"A dozen or so at Hogwarts last time I checked," said Tara, "With many more having risen to fame and glory after graduation. I would have been one of them but I really didn't want old Sluggy grooming me for greatness."

"Well, Malcolm's number thirteen now," said Sora.

"Who would have thought that Malcolm would make friends so easily?" Kairi asked. "he was so shy when we first met him."

"People change," said Tess, "I changed."

"You sure did," said Sora.

After they finished lunch, they joined Nathanial and the other 4th year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs as they went outside for Care of Magical Creatures. Near a large hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, they met their teacher, Rubeas Hagrid, or just Hagrid, whom was also head of Gryffindor House. An enormous man with long, wild black hair and beard, Hagrid had a warm, caring personality that was in direct contrast to his imposing figure.

"Well now," said Hagrid to Sora and the others, "Harry's told me all about you lot," he then looked at Sora, "especially you, Sora, you've got more guts than you know what to do with."

"If only he had the brains to go with all that courage," teased Kairi.

"I've got a brain!" said an annoyed Sora, "I just don't use it all the time, that's all."

"Brains aren't everything," said Nathanial, "yes, they're important, but not everything."

"Well, let's see what your brains make of this," said Hagrid.

"Are we going to play with Fluffy again, Hagrid?" one of the Hufflepuff girls asked happily, while several more Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws looked on with eager eyes.

"Sorry, but Fluffy's not feeling too well today," said Hagrid, "somethin' he ate. He'll be alright in a few days, but he needs his rest." At that the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw girls looked very disappointed.

On the other hand, Nathanial looked rather relieved.

"You seem to be okay with not playing with the dog," said Tess.

"I love dogs," said Nathanial, "just not this dog. Any animal with more than one head is just…disturbing, to me. You can't be sure what it's thinking. Three heads, three brains, you know."

"I'll be the judge of that," said Tess.

But then Hagrid lead the 4th years to a paddock nearby where several Hippogriffs were walking about, stretching their wings and preening their feathers. Hagrid then explained to our heroes how prideful Hippogriffs were, how to approach them while maintaining eye contact and bowing in introduction.

Carefully, Sora approached one Hippogriff that seemed older than the others. Without blinking, Sora looked at it in the eye and bowed. The Hippogriff bowed in return.

"It's alright to get close now," said Hagrid to Sora, "Buckbeak seems to like you. He'll let you pet him now. Just stroke his beak and he'll be your friend for life."

Cautiously, Sora stoked the beak and the Hippogriff expressed a look of pleased contentment. He then saw that Kairi and Riku had also made friends with two other Hippogriffs, while Aiden, Tess, Roxas and Naminé watched from a safe distance.

They and the other Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws then listened as Hagid talked about Hippogriffs, as well as made mention to other magical creatures that, while having reputations of being extremely dangerous, weren't as vicious and bloodthirsty as humans had made them out to be.

"Take dragons for example," said Hagrid, "vastly misunderstood creatures with such a rich history and a very deep culture, once you get to know them."

"Assuming they don't burn you alive," said Nathanial, "or rip you apart."

"I never said that they were to be underestimated," said Hagrid, "they just have a bad reputation."

Just then Tess gasped in surprise, "oh my!" she said with an awed expression. She then walked over to the edge of the forest, where an enormous, brown furred, three headed dog was laying on its side in the shade.

"Oh, you poor thing," said Tess as she stood a few yards from the dog, "I can tell from here that you've got a tummy ache."

"Easy now!" shouted Hagrid, "Fluffy may be a nice dog, but he's not too partial to strangers, so don't get too close to quick."

"Don't even try to get close!" exclaimed Nathanial, "that's the giant dog that was guarding the trap door that lead to The Philosopher's Stone, and that dog was vicious!"

"Ah, Fluffy was just ornery from being cooped up for too long," said Hagrid, "he just needed some air and room to run around in."

"And sunshine," said Tess as she stood within five steps of Fluffy. The giant, three-headed dog opened the eyes of his middle head and looked at Tess curiously.

"It's okay, big boy," said Tess as she held out her hand, "I just want to say hello." She then edged closer. The middle head sniffed her hand, while the other two heads opened their eyes, regarding Tess curiously.

Sora and the others watched tensely as Tess got even closer to Fluffy. But then the middle head licked Tess, while his tail wagged happily.

"You see? We're all friends here," said Tess as she scratched Fluffy's middle head behind the ears.

"I've never seen the like," said an astonished Hagrid, "Fluffy's never been that accepting of a stranger, especially when he's not feeling well."

"He's just got a tummy ache," said Tess as she stroked Fluffy, "too much red meat, I've seen it before. Just give him plain rice, chicken and some fresh veggies and he'll be right as rain again."

"Now why didn't we think of that before?" one of the Ravenclaw girls asked, "we students have been helping take care of Fluffy for nearly two decades."

"Sometimes it helps to think outside the box," said Tess.

The rest of the lesson proceeded normally as everyone got a turn to make friends with a Hippogriff, while a handful of the braver Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs helped comfort Fluffy.

But the lesson ended all too soon and our heroes walked back up to the castle, where they joined the 6th Year Griffindors for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"If you think old Sluggy is eccentric," said Kylie as she and her fellow 6th years met up with Sora and the others outside the classroom, "you haven't seen anything yet. Professor Elmsworth has some strange habits."

"Like what?" Kairi asked.

"Nothing that makes her really stand out," said Kylie, "just…odd."

"Odd how?" Riku asked.

"She's always writing stuff down," said Kylie, "making notes and observations, like she's writing a book or something."

"And she's the only one willing to sample Andrew Carpenter's dishes," said one of the Gryffindor boys, "all of them. Don't get me wrong, he's a great chef, but some of his recipes are…an acquired taste."

"I'll be the judge of that," said Aiden, "anything else we need to know about Professor Elmsworth?"

"Whatever you do," said one of the Gryffindor girls, "don't say anything about her face, she's real sensitive about her looks."

"Sounds like a narcissistic to me," said Riku.

"I wouldn't say that," Kylie remarked, "just wait and see, you'll understand."

The door to the classroom opened and everyone walked in. Our heroes sat down in a few seats set aside for them, and waited with the others.

"She's always a minute or two late," said Kylie.

"We had a math teacher like that back home," said Sora.

The brief moment before the lesson began gave Sora and the others a chance to get a better look at the classroom. What made this one stand out was the various clay figurines that decorated the walls, each one representing a different type of monster, while here and there were diagrams of wand movements for spells countering dark magic.

But then the door banged open and in walked the teacher. Professor Jessica Elmsworth was a tall, imposing woman of about 30 years and had the figure of one whom exercised regularly. She had long, auburn hair tied back in a braid and bluish green eyes, but what really made her stand out was not her black and gold, sleeveless robes that showed heavily tattooed arms, but her face was her most outstanding feature. Two long scars ran from her forehead above her left eye diagonally down to her chin. They weren't very deep or wide scars, but she hadn't did anything to hide them. Sticking out of her pocket was a notebook with a quill stuck in it.

"Well now," said Professor Elmsworth as she walked up to her desk at the front of the class, her hands clasped behind her back, "I take it that you've all had a chance to complete that essay on Dementors." She then reached her desk, "just pass them up and I'll see whether or not I've made an impression on you."

"She's always like this," Kylie whispered to Kairi as she and the rest of the class passed up their homework, "straight and too the point."

"Definitely not like our old math teacher," whispered Riku.

"Care to enlighten the rest of the class on your discussions, Ms. Meadows?" Professor Elmsworth asked sharply as she took out her notebook, opened it to a fresh page and began writing, the quill being enchanted so that it had all the ink already in it.

"I was just telling Sora and the others how efficient you are, Professor Elmsworth," said Kylie, "and how much we like you."

"Ah, yes," said Professor Meadows as she eyed Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Roxas and Naminé, while flipping back a few pages in her notebook, "it would seem that one of the visiting heroes has failed to grace this class with his presence."

"Malcolm is with Professor Slughorn," said Sora, then hastily added, "ma'am,"

"Good old Sluggy," said Professor Elmsworth, "always ready to help a rising star onto the path of glory." She then added a footnote to what she already wrote, "no matter, he'll either make it up later or be left behind," she then stood up and looked at Sora and the others, "that's rule number one of this class; you either learn or you leave. The post of Defense Against The Dark Arts professor has had a rather…colorful history. I've done my best to make the most of this class, to pass on what I've learned both at Hogwarts and out in the real world.

"Taking a stand against the dark forces isn't for someone whom isn't completely committed to fighting the good fight. One mistake and you're dead, as well as your friends, your family, all those you care about, you could all die if you don't take this seriously. 'Constant Vigilance,' as Alastair Moody was fond of saying, and he was right."

"We are vigilant!" said Sora, whom wasn't in the mood to be pushed around by anyone, even if that person was a teacher, "my friends and I have been fighting the darkness for a long time."

"And how long is a long time?" Professor Elmsworth asked as she walked over to Sora.

"Uh…well," said Sora, "just a few years or so since I got my Keyblade."

"Ah, yes, the famous Keyblades," said Professor Elmsworth, "I'll want a look at them later. But tell me, Sora," she leaned close to Sora, getting right up in his face, "have you ever been forced to make an impossible decision? Have you ever had to choose between someone you love and the greater good? One life for countless millions? Well? Aren't you going to answer me, boy? Or are you just going to stare at my scars all day?"

"I…uh…I'm not staring at your scars!" Sora exclaimed, "but…they are kinda right in front of me."

"Oh, I do apologize," said Professor Elmsworth as she stood back and smiled disarmingly, "I sometimes forget my manners when trying to asset a new student. They say that one can truly get the full measure of a person when said person is under duress."

"And what have you assessed from us, Professor?" Riku asked in an annoyed, but cautious tone.

"That you younglings have been in way over your heads more often than not," said Professor Elmsworth, "that you carry an impossible burden and would shrug it off if you could. Yes, you all wish that you could leave normal lives and settle down to peace and happiness, as is the wish of all whom dedicate their lives to fighting the forces of evil.

"Yet you cannot cast this burden aside and you've accepted that you cannot. You shoulder this responsibility with pride and will keep shouldering it until you are unable to or have been told to stand down," she then smiled brightly, "true heroes if I've ever seen them."

She then walked back to her desk, made a few notes into her book and then looked at the class as a whole, "that was a pleasant distraction," said Professor Elsmworth, "now, to business. Last class we were wrapping up our discussion on Dementors. Whom here wishes to enlighten the heroes from another world on just what the hell Dementors are?"

Kylie was among those whom raised their hands and she was called upon, "Dementors are creatures that feed off of happiness and other positive emotions. They suck out happiness and leave only pain and misery, forcing their victims to relive their worst memories. Left to the merciless attentions of a Dementor for too long and you become like them."

"Precisely," said Professor Elmsworth as she placed her hands behind her back, "five points to Gryffindor. Yes, Dementors are the most foul, loathsome, vile creatures to ever crawl, or float and fly as they do, across the face of this world. They spawn like fungus and, if left uncheck, multiply by the hundreds to spread their evil across the land, bringing misery and hopelessly wherever they go.

"For many, many years, their race was content to be the guards of Azkaban Prison, punishing those dark wizards and witches whom have committed the worst crimes in our world, trapped in their worst memories 24/7, powerless and too weak to even think of escape."

"Sirius Black escaped," said one of the Gryffindor boys.

"Sirius Black was innocent of the crimes he was accused of," said Professor Elmsworth, "and an illegal Animagus, but that's an entirely different case. Now, whom remembers the charm for repelling Dementors?"

"The Patronus Charm, Professor," said one of the Gryffindor girls, "which uses happy memories to form a a protective shield that Dementors feed on, keeping the caster safe and eventually forced away."

"Five to Gryffindor," said Professor Elmsworth, "and what is the difference between a corporeal and non-corporeal Patronus?"

Kylie was called upon again, "a non-corporeal Patronus is just that, non-corporeal. It's just pure positive energy with no physical form. A corporeal Patronus is solid and can attack a Dementor. The happier the memory, as well as depending on the physical and emotional stamina of the witch or wizard, the greater the chance of summoning a corporeal Patronus."

"Another five," said Professor Elmsworth as she walked up to Kylie. She then smiled mischievously as she leaned closer to Kylie, "and for ten more points, what shape does a corporeal Patronus take?"

"Any shape, Professor," said Kylie, "or rather, any animal, depending on the witch or wizard," she then blushed slightly and smiled, "mine's a Chinchilla."

A few more Gryffindors raised their hands and said which animal their Patronus was.

"Hawk."

"Dolphin."

"Elephant."

"Kangaroo."

"Leopard," said Professor Elmsworth as she smiled, only now a bit more brightly, "not everyone can summon a corporeal Patronus, which isn't something to be ashamed of. But so long as you keep your happiness alive in your mind and heart, no darkness can defeat you."

As Professor Elmsworth walked back to her desk, Sora wondered what animal his Patronus would take. He remembered that Harry's was a stag, while both Victoire and Teddy had wolf Patronus's. Sora knew that he had loads of happy memories to draw on, but he just couldn't think what his Patronus would look like. Sora also guessed that Kairi and the others were wondering what their Patronus would look like.

"Yes, now," said Professor Elmsworth as she made another footnote in her book, "Dementors are disgusting forms of evil," she then looked at the class with serious eyes, "but evil comes in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes it's in the form of dark wizards, other times as monsters," she ran a finger on her scars in an absentminded manner, "but sometimes it takes the form of something that, at first glance, seems innocent and is passed by, only to assert its evil when its too late to do anything about it. But in some cases, when there are those whom keep their eyes open for seemingly insignificant evils, they're able to catch on to the danger before the point of no return. It is one of these seemingly insignificant evils, one that is in fact the greatest threat of all time to human life, that we'll be talking about today."

She then pulled out her wand and summoned an image of a black book. "Who can tell me what this is?" she asked.

Sora and the others looked at the image. At first glance, it was just a book, a very old one with a black cover worn with age. But then Sora and everyone else in the class noticed that the cover had strange markings, symbols and writing in a strange language. Also, the cover, at first glace appearing to be leather, was in fact preserved human skin.

Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Roxas and Naminé then saw that most of the Gryffindors were looking at the image with nervous eyes. Kylie then raised her hand and spoke in a subdued tone, "it's The Necronomicon, Professor."

"Correct," said Professor Elmsworth, "yes. Bound in flesh and penned in blood, The Necronomicon was the oldest written text in history. Originally penned in ancient Summer, it was translated into Arabic by Abdul Al-Hazred, the Mad Arab, from which it was translated into Latin and from there into several European languages.

"As for the book itself, it contained spells and rituals for summoning demons and communing with extra dimensional god-like beings. Many copies of the book were made, in Latin and other languages, each one just as dangerous as an original Sumerian text. None of the spells and rituals lost their dark potency, nothing was lost in translation, making The Necronomicon the most dangerous piece of dark magic to ever exist on our world"

"But…they were all destroyed, right, professor?" one of the Gryffindor girls asked, "you helped destroy the last one, right?"

"Yes," said Professor Elmsworth, "I did assist in the destruction of the last 'intact' copy of an original Sumerian version, back in 2007. I had recently finished my Auror training and just happened to be in the right place and the right time. The very last intact copy of The Necronomicon was on display in a museum. Many in the wizarding world and The Bureau had advocated for the destruction of the book, but other wizards, as well as some Muggles in the know, wanted the book preserved as a historical artifact.

"But there was something about The Necronomicon, something that draws someone into reading it. It didn't matter what the language of the copy, the book always found its way to someone and makes that person read the book. This was one of the few magical artifacts that could be used by Muggles, and boy, have Muggles abused this piece of magic."

"But how was the book destroyed?" Sora asked. By now he and the others had the full attention of Professor Elmsworth.

"It's a very long story," said Professor Elmsworth, "to make it short, the book was on display in a museum, and someone stole it. We were able to find the book before it was used to cause mass destruction and the book was incinerated. Fire was the only sure way to destroy a copy of The Necronomicon.

"That was twelve years ago," she then touched her scar again, "and I've been teaching at Hogwarts for the past five, and loving every minute of it."

She then went on to discuss several historical incidences in which The Necronomicon was used by either dark wizards, insane muggles and even unsuspecting muggles with no idea what they were getting into.

She also talked about The Heatherson Cult, which originated in the USA during The Great Depression as a demon-worshiping cult bent on unleashing hell on earth, culminating in a conspiracy to use the Y2K bug as a means of creating enough chaos to summon demonic gods. Throughout their history, the cult used a copy of The Necronomicon to perform their unholy rites.

But they were confronted and defeated by The BPRD and that particular copy of the dark book was destroyed, as were other copies, eventually resulting in the destruction of the last complete copy in 2007.

"Homework," said Professor Scott when the lesson was over and the students prepared to leave, "five page essay on the history of the Necronomicon focusing on its origins in ancient Summer, its translation by The Mad Arab and at least three modern incidents of its use, and by modern, I mean with the past five hundred years. I will speak to the Keyblade Wielders before they leave for dinner. The rest of you, enjoy your weekend."

"I'll meet you all later," said Kylie to Sora and the others as she packed up to leave with her fellow Gryffindors. It wasn't long before our heroes and Professor Elmsworth were alone in the classroom.

"Well," said Professor Elmsworth as she wrote in her notebook, "aren't we an eclectic bunch," she then stood up from her writing and looked at Riku and Sora, "warriors," then at Kairi, "a princess," at Aiden, "an alchemist," at Tess, "a reformed assassin and recovering psychopath," at Roxas and Naminéé, "two non-entities seeking their own hearts, and Malcolm's a master of the dark arts with a heart of gold," she sighed and sat in her chair behind her desk, "just as Sybil predicted. Who would have thought she had another in her."

"Excuse me, Professor?" Sora asked in a confused tone.

"Sorry," said Professor Elmsworth, "and please, call me Jessie. Class is over, so there's no need to call me Professor."

"Uh…okay, Jessie," said Sora.

"But what were you talking about, Pro…I mean, Jessie," said Kairi.

"I'm assuming that you haven't sat in on Divination yet," said Jessie, "it's better you didn't, only a handful of students at Hogwarts actually enjoy the company of Sybil Trelawney. She teaches Divination, but isn't that gifted herself, just as there's only a handful of witches and wizards whom actually fit in Divination. In all her years at Hogwarts, Sybil's had only four true predictions, true prophecies of the future, and one of them was made during her interview for the post with Professor Dumbledore."

Jessie then sighed again, "and now her fifth prophecy is coming true, just when she finally found the means of recording her visions when she has them so that others can know of them. She predicted you young heroes would be coming. Victoire Weasley had a vision of her abduction by those two maniacs last spring, but hers was a dream vision. Sybil made her prophecy when she was wide awake, albeit unaware at the time, she knew you guys would be here at Hogwarts long, long before it was decided that you would come and visit."

"You know, I'm not that surprised," said Riku.

"We've seen weird things before," said Aiden, "premonitions aren't that weird."

"This one is," said Jessie, "whenever Sybil has one of her rare visions, serious trouble is just around the corner. Her first true prophecy was about Harry and that he would be the one whom would destroy Voldemort, and that prophecy was made before he was born. Then she had a vision of Voldemort's second coming, which also came true, as did her other prophecies.

"And now this one is coming true. I wasn't there when she had her 'fugue,' so I didn't hear the exact words and she's only told Headmistress McGonagall of the recording of her vision, but I know enough that you Keyblade Wielders are going to be involved in something serious here at Hogwarts, something involving The Sign of The Sacred Heart."

"The Sign?" Kairi asked.

"Maybe we are going to solve the mystery," said Sora eagerly.

"Oh please," said Tess in an annoyed tone, "you really think that? You heard Tara and the others. Nearly every magical historian and scholar on this world have tried with no success. I'm not saying we're not capable, but if they can't do it…"

"Then we'll just have to try ourselves," said Sora.

"You're serious, right?" Tess asked.

"He is," said Roxas.

"And we're going to help, all of us," said Riku.

"Well, of course," said Tess, "but before we do, I just want to point out that we should think before getting involved in some strange prophecy."

"We're already involved just by being here," said Kairi.

"Alright," said Tess, "but don't come crawling to me when things go sour, like they usually do."

"We won't," said Sora.

"In that case," said Jessie as she closed her notebook and stood up, "I bid you all a good evening and a good weekend. Just try not to get into too much trouble, Hogwarts has had enough of that as it is."

"We'll try, Jessie," said Sora.

"I think I like her," said Kairi as she and the others left the classroom and headed for the Great Hall, "she's cool."

"And weird," said Aiden, "just what's with that notebook of hers? What's she writing?"

"I want to know where she got those scars," said Tess, "and what happened to the other guy."

"What other guy?" Naminé asked.

"The guy who gave her those scars," said Tess, "assuming it was a man."

"Well, whoever or whatever gave her those scars," said Riku, "she's not to be underestimated."

"Who's not to be underestimated?" Malcolm asked as he ran up to our heroes.

"Well, look who decided to grace us with his presence," said Tess, "enjoy the Slug Club?"

"If you're referring to Professor Slughorn and his Gifted and Talented group," said Malcolm, "then yes, I had a good time," he then grinned widely, "I had a great time. There's a lot of smart kids here and they all were eager to help my Quantum Potion get on its feet."

"And how long until the Ultra Potion is ready?" Aiden asked.

"Ultra Potion?" Malcolm asked, "is that what you want to call it?"

"For now, yes," said Aiden.

"Well, Professor Slughorn likes the name Quantum Potion," said Malcolm, "and so do the others in the group. Anyway, we're very close to having the formula ready for human trials, like by Monday or something."

At that Sora looked like he had been insulted somewhat, "oh, I see. So…I guess this is goodbye then."

"Wait, what?" Malcolm asked.

"Well, you're clearly very happy being here at Hogwarts," said Sora.

"You've made a tone of friends almost instantly," said Kairi, "and you've caught the attention of one of the professors. If I didn't know any better, you've found your place in the sun."

"We'd understand if you want to stay on this world and be happy," said Aiden.

"What are you people talking about?" Malcolm asked, "I'm not staying! Sure, things are great here, but I can't settle down at Hogwarts. I'm not a real student here and I've got way too many responsibilities, such as being a Keyblade Wielder and protecting the light against the darkness, and there's no way I'd leave you guys, not after all we've been through," by now he was looking highly irate, "to think that you people, you, my friends, whom helped me break out of my shell and experience so many wonders, and now you think that I'm just going to give it all up and…"

But then Malcolm realized that Sora and the others were trying not to laugh, barely able to contain their humor.

"You were jerking my chain," said an annoyed Malcolm, "I wish you wouldn't do that."

"Sorry," said a smiling Aiden, "couldn't resist."

At that they all laughed it off and went to dinner, during which Tara sat next to them with good news.

"It's official," said a grinning Tara, "Professor McGonagall just approved the exhibition match on Sunday; Hufflepuff vs. Ravenclaw."

"We'll be there," said Sora, count on it."

* * *

**…Someplace Dark…**

A dozen men in black cloaks, each of them wearing a different mask, sat around a table, plotting something foul.

"It has been confirmed," said one of the black-cloaked men, "The Keyblade Wielders are at Hogwarts and are on the trail of The Sign."

"Everything foretold is coming to pass," said another black-cloaked man, "they must not be allowed to solve the secret of The Sign."

"Then we know what to do," said a third black-cloaked man, "what must be done, no matter how despicable it is."

"Agreed," said all of the black-cloaked men.

* * *

**…Hogwarts…**

Saturday dawned bright and clear, a perfect day for Sora and the others to join their wizardly friends in Hogsmeade. But the trip wasn't until 9:00, so our heroes had time to enjoy breakfast, as well as watch some of the extracurricular activities, taught not by Hogwarts professors, but by the visiting Meta Humans from The BPRD.

There was a class that taught how to defend the mind against psychic attack. This was taught by the blind Meta Human Jefferson Davis 'J.D.' Wallace, a high-level esper whom specialized in telepathy and telekinesis. J.D. was also an expert in lock picking and safecracking, but those weren't skills he tried to teach to the young witches and wizards of Hogwarts. Though blind, J.D.'s mental powers, combined with echolocation, allowed him to see and hear better than normal humans. He had all gray eyes behind sunglasses and had short brown hair

There were also several physical self defense classes. Teaching Karate and Judo was Juanita 'Nina' Alberez. Nina, age 19 with brown eyes and short, chestnut brown hair, was from Madrid and was gifted with super speed.

Second was Yuri Daslovich from St. Petersburg; age 20 with burgundy eyes and a shaved head. He taught Sambo and had the power of turning his skin into a shell-like armor, making him nearly indestructible.

Third was Sara Katzenberg from Haifa, Israel, but moved to New York and spoke English, French, Hebrew, Arabic and Spanish; age 20 with chocolate brown eyes and short, auburn hair. She taught Krav Maga and had the power of stealth, allowing her to avoid detection of even the most advanced security systems in both the muggle and wizarding world.

Rounding up the Meta Human team was Ashley Reynolds from Philadelphia; age 24 with silver eyes and long, black hair with rainbow highlights. Ashley was the type of Meta Human known as a Mentat, meaning she had a highly advanced mental capacity, almost like a living computer, and had mastered several fields of science. Ashley specialized in parapsychology, archeology, philosophy and was an expert code breaker. She was at Hogwarts as a supervisor for the other Meta Humans, as well as a liaison between the muggle and wizarding world.

"How long have Meta Humans been teaching at Hogwarts?" Sora asked.

"Since the great Technomancer invasion of 2005," said Ashley Reynolds, "when those magic-hating machines tried to conquer our world, it was a combination of wizardry, Meta Human abilities, Muggle science and plain old fashion human ingenuity and strength of heart that destroyed those monsters. It only seemed natural that the two worlds would work together for mutual protection and friendship, and the alliance has held firm against several magical, demonic, extraterrestrial and even human, threats."

"What kind of threats?" Riku asked.

"The usual," said Ashley, "demons out to spread misery and devour human souls, dark wizards whom think they can do one better than Voldemort, aliens, organic and machine, and just plain evil humans."

"It's hard to believe that there's still so much evil on Earth," said Kairi, "even one that's a few years more advanced than ours."

"We've been able to solve some of our problems," said Ashley, "we've made great progress in recycling and green technology, getting fusion power to be economically viable, as well as reducing overall crime and winning the war on terrorism," she then smiled widely, "I helped in the logistics of that war."

"How'd you do that?" Sora asked.

"Sorry," said Ashley, "that's classified. But I can say this, our world is a lot safer for the average Muggle than it was ten years ago."

"Any chance you can help make our world and universe safer?" Aiden asked.

At that Ashley paused for a second, thinking, before answering, "I'll have to confer with my superiors, but," she then smiled again, "I think we can reach an accommodation."

With that our heroes met up with Tara, Nathanial, Cass, Kylie, Alison, Mathew, Yasmine, Lancaster, Cordelia and Ryo, and they all went down to the village of Hogsmeade.

"Let's get some Butterbeer from The Three Broomsticks," said Cass, "Mrs. Longbottom has a new recipe, as well a new cake she's been working on."

"If you want sweets," said Mathew, "Honeydukes is the place for you. They have just about everything you want, from sweet to sour, from delicious to down right disgusting, if you want that kind of thing."

"Zonko's Joke Shop is always good for a laugh," said Lancaster.

"You need anything in terms of magical supplies," said Tara, "Dervish and Banges is your destination."

"The Shrieking Shack is supposed to be the most haunted building in Great Britain," said Cordelia, "it's been quiet for a long time, but not all ghosts are as nice as the ones at Hogwarts."

"There's a new outdoors market," said Yasmine, "trading in exotic foods, spices and rare magical items and potion ingredients."

"I don't know where to go first," said a slightly overwhelmed Sora.

"Drawling lots to decide sounds like a good idea," said Riku.

"I think I've got some scrap paper," said Aiden as he checked his pockets, "and…hey, aren't they those kids we saw the other day?" he was pointing to one building, where four 2nd year students were waiting until the coast was clear, before hurrying across the street.

"That's Albus Potter and his gang," said Alison, "Rose Weasley, Izzy Ashcroft and Scorpio Malfoy."

"But what are they doing here?" Tara asked in an annoyed tone, "2nd Years aren't allowed in Hogsmeade."

"They must have used one of the secret passages," said Ryo, he then looked at Sora and the others, "there's a few leading from Hogwarts to the village, but which one?"

"They couldn't have used the one to Honeydukes," said Matthew, "that one was closed up years ago, and the one from the Wallomping Willow to The Shrieking Shack is too dangerous, unless you know how to avoid being beaten to a bloody pulp."

"How'd you know all of this?" Tess asked cautiously.

"We've done some exploring when we were younger," said Alison, "before we were Prefects."

"And from sworn testimony of some famous Hogwarts rule breakers," said Tara, "with George Weasley being the best of the best." She then smiled in an eager manner, "now, what to do about the fantastic four? As Head Girl, I have a responsibility to stop any rule-breaking that I see, and to report any tomfoolery to one of the staff.

"But, if I were to report every single incident of malarkey, every infringement on the rules, every single once of disobedience, I'd be as bad as Umbridge the bitch."

"You won't get any arguments from us," said Alison, while Mathew nodded in agreement, "but, at least we should find out what they're up to, before we decide on whether or not to turn them in."

"Can we help?" Sora asked.

"Just be ready to move," said Tara, "I'd like to catch them without scaring them too much."

She directed our heroes to spread out on the street with the other students, moving normally but intently, following Albus Potter and his friends, whom were heading for the Owl Post Office.

"What could they be wanting there?" Tara asked as she, Sora and Kairi, carefully approached from behind, "they can't be getting a package, it'd be delivered in the usual Owl Post every morning at school, unless…unless it's potentially dangerous. But that's not like Albus and his friends, they usually stay out of trouble. His brother James, on the other hand, now he'd be getting something from the Post Office directly if it was dangerous."

Soon she, Alison, Mathew, Sora, Kairi, Riku and Aiden, were in position to grab Albus, Rose, Izzy and Scorpio, just before they reached the Owl Post Office.

"And just what are you four doing here on this fine day?" Tara asked. The four young students froze in their tracks and turned around sheepishly to look at the Head Girl, then the four of them blushed with embarrassment as they saw how many of their upperclasspersons, as well as our heroes, were there, for within seconds, Tess, Malcolm, Roxas, Naminé, and the others, were there.

"Uh…this is…not what it seems, Tara," said Rose.

"Is it?" Tara asked as she placed her hands on her hips, "just what were you thinking, Rose?"

"One would think that you, Albus, would try not to attract trouble," said Mathew. "and you'd think that you wouldn't do something this serious, Izzy."

"And you, Scorpio Malfoy," sad Alison, "what would your father think?"

"My father would probably ask what took me so long," said Scorpio, "then he'd be angry with me."

"Same with my dad," said Rose.

"We have a really good reason to be out here," said Izzy.

"I hope so," said Tara, "I seriously hope so." she then glared at Albus, "this is something your brother would do, but that doesn't mean I'll let you off the hook. I ought to drag you four right back up to the castle this instant and march you to Professor McGonagall."

"No!" exclaimed Rose in an insisting tone, "you can't!"

"You can't tell the headmistress, or anyone else!" pleaded Izzy, "you'll spoil everything!"

"Spoil what?" Sora asked.

"And is it dangerous?" Aiden asked, "because if you're doing anything that could cause trouble or damage the school, then…"

"Are you mad?!" snapped Scorpio, "we'd never do that!"

"We may pull a harmless prank or to come April Fools Day," said Izzy, "but we'd never hurt anyone."

"We're trying to do something special," said Rose, "something that's long overdue."

"But it has to be a secret," said Albus, "no one must know."

"Well, I'm sorry," said Tara, "but you're going to have to let us in on the secret. I'm sorry, but rules are rules, no student under his or her 3rd is allowed in Hogsmeade, and even then they need signed permission from their parents or legal guardian."

"You'll probably get detention for three months straight," said Alison, "and be banned from attending Quidditch matches. You might just be banned from ever joining your respective house Quidditch teams."

"And your parents would be informed," said Mathew.

"You can't do that!" exclaimed a horrified Scorpio, while Rose and Albus also looked shocked, "my mother would skin me alive!"

"My mum would just break my neck," said Izzy.

"Then tell me," said Tara, "I can bend the rules this one time. It'll be off the record," she then looked at Sora and everyone else, "and we'll all have to swear to secrecy," she then looked at Albus, Rose, Izzy and Scorpio, "but I can give you this one free pass, _if _and only if you tell me what all the hush-hush is all about."

At that Albus, Rose, Izzy and Scorpio whispered among themselves, debating on whether or not to let their upperclasspersons and our heroes in on the secret.

But then they came to an agreement, "alright, we'll trust you with the secret," said Albus.

"But only if you swear to keep the secret," said Rose, "no one else must know, especially not Professor McGonagall."

"You want us to swear The Unbreakable Vow?" Cordelia asked.

"No, just a normal wizarding promise," said Scorpio.

"Fair enough," said Tara. She then looked at her fellow witches and wizards, whom all nodded in agreement. She then looked at our heroes, "raise your right hand and put your left on your heart." Our heroes did that, as well as the witches and wizards present.

"Now repeat after me," said Tara, "'I swear on my life and the lives of those I love, I will keep this secret that I am about to learn.'"

Everyone then repeated the oath.

"Now spit," said Tara. Everyone then spat on the ground.

"Anyone who breaks the oath will get a horrible rash in a horribly uncomfortable place, unless the ones the secret is all about says you can tell others, since it's their secret," said Tara. She then looked at Albus, Rose, Izzy and Scorpio, "now what's the big secret?"

"We're planning a surprise party for Professor McGonagall," said Rose.

"What?" Tara asked.

"A surprise party for the headmistress?" Kairi asked, "that's so sweet. When's her birthday?"

"October 4th," said Albus, "I know, we've missed it, but McGonagall never celebrates her birthday, ever. So, we decided to do something nice and throw a big celebration. We're hoping to have everything ready at the start of the Christmas Holiday, a big feast for the headmistress before most of the students go home."

"We've cleared everything with the kitchen House Elves, while Andrew Carpenter promised to bake a massive cake," said Izzy.

"This sounds wonderful," said Alison, "and you're right, McGonagall has never made a big thing of her birthday. But I think it's time that changed."

"This is very noble and kind of you four," said Tara to Albus and his friends, "but that doesn't explain why you snuck into Hogsmeade."

"We are picking up a package," said Scorpio, "a really special, really expensive present."

"How expensive?" Tara asked.

"Very expensive," said Rose.

"Where'd you get the money?" Cass asked.

"I got it," said Izzy, "my mum and dad made some very wise investment choices over the years, so when I asked them for a sizeable amount of cash, they went to Gringots and opened an account in my name. The Wizarding Bank has a system where all you need to do is send them an owl if you need cash from your family vault."

"What are you giving Professor McGonagall?" Riku asked.

"That's going to have to stay a secret," said Rose, "I'm sorry, but the less who know, the bigger the surprise."

"But don't worry," said Izzy, "as we get closer to the big date, we'll discretely let the others at school know what we're doing. We'll get them to swear the oath and they'll be able to help make the party a smash hit."

"This is one feast that'll be remembered for decades," said Scorpio, "so, will you let us off the hook this one time? Or are you going to march us to the Headmistress' office and spoil everything?"

"As if you had to ask me," said Tara as she smiled happily, "I'll let it slide, this time."

"Yes!" Albus said triumphantly, while Scorpio eagerly smiled and Rose and Izzy did a 'happy dance.'

"But remember," said Tara sternly, "this is your one free pass with me. If I ever catch you breaking any more rules while I'm still here at Hogwarts, I'll be forced to drag you straight to Professor McGonagall."

"We know," said Albus.

"And you've got to be back at the castle before anyone else notices you're missing," said Tara, "just get whatever you're getting from the post office and get back inside."

"We know," said Rose, while Albus, Izzy and Scorpio all nodded in agreement.

"Good," said Tara, "now get going." With that the four young students hurried off to the Owl Post Office.

"That was awfully decent of you," said Kairi, "and kind."

"Yeah, well," said Tara, "I'm sticking my head out for those kids. If they get into any further trouble because of this, it'll be my head that Professor McGonagall rips off."

"On the bright side," said a grinning Kylie, "you'll have one over Nearly Headless Nick."

"True," said Tara, "but I happen to like my head attached to my body."

"It's still nice of those four to plan a party for Professor McGonagall," said Kairi.

"It's a good idea," said Ryo, "but I'd doubt that the headmistress would be interested in a surprise party."

"It wouldn't be a surprise if you asked her," said Cordelia.

"So we'll just wait until it's time to surprise her," said Tara, "in the meantime, we should all enjoy the day."

With that the group dispersed into smaller groups so that they could all do their own thing. Our heroes split into two groups so they could just wander around, with Sora, Riku, Tess and Kairi in one group, while Aiden, Malcolm, Roxas and Naminé went elsewhere in town.

"I can't decide what to do first," said Kairi, "I wish I had brought a camera."

"Speaking of cameras," said Sora, "I should have asked our new friends; how do wizard paintings and photos move like they do?"

"Some sort of spell on the paint, I guess," said Riku, "and a different spell for developing film."

"We'll ask about it," said Tess, "wait…isn't that Andrew over there?" she was pointing towards the open market, where among the many witches and wizards seeking a bargain in magical items so on, Andrew Carpenter was perusing the exotic foodstuff stalls.

"Hey!" Sora shouted as he, Kairi, Riku and Tess walked over, "how's it going?"

"Pretty good," said Andrew as he kept looking at the wares on display, while holding up a basket full of what he'd already bought, "I'm always on the lookout for new ingredients and spices to try, new recipes to experiment on."

"Any chance you can share some of those recipes?" Kairi asked, "one of our friends wants to be a better cook."

"If he's got the time then I'll schedule it in," said Andrew as he stopped to look at some vegetables that looked like purple chili peppers, then examined something that looked like parsley but was orange.

"I don't get you," Sora said abruptly.

Andrew stopped his pursuing and turned around to look at Sora, glanced at his watch, then looked back at Sora, "what don't you get?"

"You," said Sora, "you're not like the other Meta Humans we've met."

"Sora!" said a shocked Kairi, "don't you know how rude that sounds?"

"It's okay," said Andrew, "I've always been weird, even among Meta Humans," he looked at his watch, "I don't have any physical or psychic powers. But I do have my mind, as screwed up at it is. You know that I'm an expert on explosives and bombs," he then patted the right side of his jacket, indicating his holstered .475 Widley Magnum, "and pack heat."

"It's not that," said Sora, "and I know that you're a great chef."

"Then what is it?" Andrew asked as he cleaned his glasses, "what is it that you don't get about me?"

"Why are you at Hogwarts?" Sora asked.

"Oh, that," said Andrew as he put his glasses back on, "well, if you must know, I guess you could say that I'm on vacation."

"Vacation?" Riku asked.

"Yes," said Andrew in a reluctant tone, "I'm on vacation, not from The Bureau, not from saving the world, but…from…" he then sighed and spoke in a reluctant tone, "…from my wife."

"Your wife?" Tess asked.

"Yeah," said Andrew, "ever since we stopped Kira and gave Chernabog a run for his money, my wife, Jill, she's been…clingy."

"Clingy?" Kairi asked.

"Will you stop repeating everything I say?" Andrew demanded.

"Everything you say?" Kairi asked in a teasing manner.

"Oh for crying out loud," said an irate Andrew, "I'm serious. My wife hadn't let me have a moment to myself for weeks after we got back from The Realms of Light. Seriously, she wouldn't leave my side, and I have to have at least an hour or two to myself every day, unless it's on a mission, and Jill, God knows I love her and our children, but she's been sticking to me like glue. I was being suffocated, drowning even. I needed air, I needed space, I need me-time! So," he then sighed, "so, I decided to spend a few months at Hogwarts, if only to be alone."

"Oh," said Sora, "I…I guess I get it."

"No one said that marriage was easy," said Riku.

"I never said that I wasn't happy with Jill," said Andrew, "she's…she completes me, and I complete her. But I needed a break, a chance to clear my head, before heading back to the grind."

"Does she know you're here?" Tess asked.

"She thinks I'm working in Antarctica," said Andrew, "environmentally friendly oil drilling, one of Violet's more brilliant ideas. Now that we don't have to worry about polluting the environment and killing off local wildlife, there's plenty of oil right under our noses, or rather, at the bottom of the world."

"Aren't you worried that she'll find out that you're not in Antarctica?" Kairi asked, "that she'll track you down and be super angry with you?"

"You just had to put that idea in my head, did you," said an annoyed Andrew, "but it's alright, I set it up so she wouldn't be suspicious for another month."

"Is that so?" asked a woman in her late 30's with a London accent. She had long, black hair and hazel eyes and wore a blue and white shirt under her tan BPRD jacket, hip hugger jeans and brown boots. Around her waist was a woven leather belt that had a saber in a scabbard on her right side. The woman was glaring irately at Andrew while her arms were crossed.

Sora and the others then saw that Andrew looked like he had been caught with the hand in the cookie jar. "Uh…hi, Jill," he said sheepishly. "Sora, everyone, this is my beloved wife, the lovely and magnificent Jill Carpenter, formerly Sparrow."

"Charmed," said Jill to our heroes. She then glared at Andrew again, "you must think you have balls of steel to think you can run out on me and your family, Andrew Carpenter! Just who the frak do you think you are, skiving off like you did?! Well? Who do you think you are!?"

"A smothered man," said Andrew in a nervous but determined tone, "good grief, Jill, you were clinging to me like a monkey to a tree in a storm. You know I need my me-time, otherwise…"

"Otherwise your anxieties get worse, I know," said Jill, "I've stood by you through your anxieties for nearly twenty years. But that's still no excuse to run away, and lie about it no less. I tore my way through half the drilling station at McMurdo before I figured out that you were never there! I then had to ransack Bureau H.Q. before anyone would tell me you were at Hogwarts."

"I'm sorry, Jill," said Andrew, "but…"

"But nothing!" snapped Jill, "what were you thinking? Of all the times for you to go skiving off, you couldn't have picked a worse one."

At that Andrew frowned with serious concern, "why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, really," said Jill in a slightly nervous tone, "well, it's bad and good, but…"

"But what?" Andrew asked in an anxious tone. He then placed his hands on his wife's shoulders, "Jill? What happened?"

"Violet's pregnant," said Jill in an abrupt tone.

At that Andrew blinked in shock, "what? Violet? Our Violet?"

"The test came back positive," said Jill, "that's why I went on a rampage to find you," she then smiled happily, "our Violet is going to be a mother."

At that Andrew looked like he was ready to kill someone, "who's the father!? Who's the scumbag who knocked up our daughter?!"

"Whom do you think?" Jill asked, "whom else has been dating Violet ever since they first met?"

"Shawn," said Andrew irately, "I'll kill him!" he then reached for his .475 pistol, "I'll blast his fraking head open!"

"Don't you dare harm our future son in law!" snapped Jill, "Shawn knows what he did, as does Violet. They're sorry it happened this way, but they're both willing to do the right thing and get married."

"Married?" Andrew asked in a confused tone, "I…when?"

"Around Christmas," said Jill, "hopefully when Hogwarts has its winter holiday, you'll be able to come home and give Violet away."

"That's wonderful!" said Kairi happily, "I wish we could be there for the wedding, but we'll only be here for another week or so."

"That doesn't mean we can't come back," said Sora, "I think we can arrange it."

"Assuming our enemies would give us a break," said Riku.

"We would be honored if you would be there for the wedding," said Jill. She then looked at Andrew, "won't we?"

"Huh?" a dazed Andrew asked, "oh! Yeah, we would. Sorry, I kinda spaced out there."

"I know how you feel," said Malcolm.

Our heroes then spent the next several minutes talking to Andrew and Jill, how they met and hated each other first, but eventually fell hopelessly in love. They then adopted three orphans; Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire, and helped keep them safe from the insidious and overacting Count Olaf. After that they had three children of their own, all of them under the age of 12 and hadn't yet exhibited Meta Human abilities.

They also talked about the Meta Human abilities of their adopted children. Violet, now age 27, was a natural inventor, able to turn a seemingly useless pile of junk into an ingenious gadget. Being the eldest of the Baudelaire children, Violet was set to inherit her family's vast fortune, as well as land holdings, business stocks and various priceless pieces of art and treasures.

But the lives of Violet and her siblings were shattered when her parents were murdered by Count Olaf. Making it look like a horrible accident, Olaf manipulated the legal system and the various guardians looking after the three orphans, into putting himself close enough to do away with the children. In spite of Olaf's sinister plans and the incompetence of the adults whom were supposed to protect them, Violet and her siblings outwitted Olaf time and again, eventually culminating in the gruesome death of Olaf.

Since then, Violet used her abilities and fortune to helping The Bureau defend their world against the darkness and help advance human prosperity.

Her brother Klaus, age 25 now, had the power to remember any book he read word for word, which was a tremendous help in their struggles against Olaf. Klaus was now the official archivist for the BPRD.

Then there was Sunny Baudelaire, now age 14, was a psychic capable of painting pictures of the future, more or less. Her visions weren't always accurate, so the problem was determining which of her paintings were products of her imagination, and which foretold of things yet to come.

And then there was Shawn Ohmsford, age 28, a Scanner whom befriended Violet when she first came to The Bureau and they've been inseparable since.

"Shawn's almost as powerful a Scanner as Laura," said Jill, "but where she has the lead in sheer mental strength, Shawn has always had the advantage in control."

"Laura's had emotional issues ever since we met," said Andrew, "but I didn't say that."

"Our lips our sealed," said Sora, while Kairi and the others nodded in agreement.

"Well, those are the three orphans whom we welcomed into our homes and hearts," said Jill, "that was in 2007. We then had Kaylee in 2009, Daniel in 2011 and Rachel in 2014. All of them are wonderful, and they're like us, Meta Humans."

"But not even Doc Spartan can tell what their powers will be," said Andrew, "not until they get a bit older."

"When do Meta Humans get their powers?" Tess asked.

"Around age thirteen," said Andrew, "sometimes a few years younger, sometimes a few years older," he looked at Tess, "you got your power at what…age twelve? Eleven?"

"I was eleven when I became invisible for the first time," said Tess, "wait…are you saying that I'm a Meta Human?"

"It wouldn't surprise me," said Jill, "there are a handful of witches and wizards with Meta Human abilities, so it's only natural that a Keyblade Wielder would be one of us too, an improbability, but still possible."

"I…I never thought about it that way," said Jill, "but, I'm not even from your world."

"But you are from a parallel Earth," said Riku.

"We've been in contact with Parallel Earths for a while," said Andrew, "some of them have Bureaus, and some of them have the same people, just a little different. For example, on one world, I don't have glasses."

"And on another we both were killed on missions," said Jill, "different universes, different points of history."

"The Butterfly Effect," said Sora, "like what Professor Connor said about one small incident triggering a bigger chain of events."

"Exactly," said Andrew.

"Yes, we know a lot about the past on many worlds," said Jill, "but even with the combined abilities of every alternate BPRD we've made contact with, the future is still uncertain. Yes, we have psychics whom have visions and wizards whom make prophecies, but the future is never written in stone, it's always changing," she sighed, "I just hope that the future is at least less difficult for our children than it was for us."

"Jill and I are the first Meta Humans on this world to have children," said Andrew "and soon, Violet and Shawn will be the second couple," he then irately ground his teeth together, "assuming I don't kill Shawn first! What were they thinking!?"

"They're consenting adults, free to do as they please!" said Jill sternly, "if they want to have a child out of wedlock, then have seven more or so, they can do that. But they're doing the right thing, so why can't you be happy for them?"

"I am happy!" snapped Andrew, "it's just…"

"Just what?" Jill asked. But then her eyes widened in shock as she sensed something terrible, "LOOK OUT!" she shouted as she pulled Andrew to the side, the two of them avoiding something black that hurtled towards them from out of nowhere.

Sora and the others then ducked as another black shape hurtled towards them. They ducked and saw that the shapes were men wearing black robes with purple symbols. They both wore masks that were shaped like birds.

"Well now," said Jill as she and Andrew stood together, with her hand near the handle of her saber and his near his pistol, "this is a fine mess we're in. And just who are you gentlemen?"

"Whom we are is of no concern, Jill Sparrow," said one of the masked men in a raspy, dark voice.

"That's Jill Carpenter to you, mister!" snapped Andrew.

"Shut it, mutant!" snapped the other masked man, "we're not here for you or your freak of a wife!"

"Say that again!" spat Andrew as he drew his hand cannon and removed the safety, "say that again! I dare you!" he then aimed the pistol at the head of the masked man who just spoke, "I double dare you, mother-fraker! Say that one more damn time!"

"Easy, Andrew," said Jill, "if they really wanted a fight, they would have attacked already, instead of just trying to get our attention," she glared at the first masked man, "isn't that right?"

"All you need to know is that you aren't our target," said the first masked man, "they are!" he then pointed at Sora, Riku, Kairi and Tess.

"Us?" Sora asked as he, Riku, Kairi and Tess all clustered together, ready to summon their Keyblades at the slightest provocation. "What'd we ever do to you?"

"It's not what you did," said the second mask man, "but what you're going to do, and for that, you must be destroyed."

"But we haven't done anything!" exclaimed Sora.

"I just said that you're going to do something!" snapped the second man.

"Well, just what is this thing that you're accusing us of not having to do yet that's got you so wound up about?" Riku asked.

"The less you know, the better," said the first masked man, "please, it's better that you simply succumb to oblivion without the anxiety of the sin you would have done. Trust me, it's for the best."

"No!" snapped Andrew, "you two, whoever the hell you are! Are you out of your thrice-damned minds!?"

"What gives you the right to murder four innocent children whom haven't done anything to warrant such a cruel fate?" Jill demanded.

"They must be destroyed," said the first masked man, "if not, the consequences will be too dire to contemplate."

"If we're endangering this world," said Kairi, "if just being here puts innocent people at risk, then we'll leave and you'll never see or hear from us again."

"If there's a legitimate reason for us to not be here," said Tess, "we'll go."

"It doesn't matter if you agree to leave or not," said the first masked man, "you four must be destroyed, as well as the other four."

"Enough talking!" snapped the second masked man, "let's just kill them and be done with it!"

"I think you two are forgetting something," said Jill. She then drew her saber and assumed a fighting stance, "if you want to murder my young friends, you'll have to murder me first, and I'll have you know, people have been trying and failing to kill me for twenty years now."

"Same with me," said Andrew as he cocked his pistol, "I'll be thrice and thrice damned if I let you kill them!"

"This is none of your concern, mutant!" spat the second masked man. He then pulled out a wand, "just stand aside!"

"What the hell!?" exclaimed Tara as she and the others, including Aiden, Malcolm, Roxas and Naminé, ran into the area, as well as several adult witches and wizards, with Neville and Cho being among them.

"This is simply a misunderstanding," said the first masked man to everyone, "we have no quarrel with the witches and wizards of Hogwarts or Hogsmeade. But we have our mission, and we cannot leave without accomplishing it."

"They want to kill us!" exclaimed Tess, "and we haven't done anything!"

"They must die!" snapped the second masked man, "for the good of the world, The Keyblade Wielders must be destroyed before it is too late."

"Over my dead body!" snapped Neville as he and the other witches and wizards drew their wands, "Tara, get the others back to the castle."

"But, Professor Longbottom!" said Tara, "We can help!"

"Sora and the others are our friends!" said Kylie, "there's no way we're going to let any masked cowards hurt them!" at that Cordelia, Ryo and the other students nodded in agreement.

"We'll fight with them!" said Cass.

"Don't argue about this!" said Cho.

"Enough talk!" snapped the second masked man. With a wave of his wand, he summoned dozens of Neo Shadows, "kill the brats!" he ordered, then disapparated.

"Oh for crying out loud!" said Sora as he, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Malcolm and Roxas, summoned their Keyblades, while Naminé stood ready with her own magic. Meanwhile, the older wizards and witches were holding the students back, ready to cast their spells.

But the summoned Heartless were focused only on the Keyblade Wielders. The Neo Shadows attacked, rushing headlong at our heroes, whom met them full on and began destroying them with their usual ease.

But it didn't take long for Sora and the others to realize that something was wrong. For ever Neo Shadow they destroyed, two appeared in its place. Within minutes, the street was swarming with Heartless. Even the Hogwarts students, teachers and residents of Hogsmeade, whom had begun casting offensive spells once the Neo Shadows began multiplying, were forced away from the area, leaving the Keyblade Wielders isolated in the middle of the street.

But then they were joined by Jill and Andrew, whom had fought their way into the small circle our heroes had established, with Jill hacking and slashing the dark creatures to pieces with her saber, while Andrew blasted them with a seemingly endless supply of mini bombs.

"And here's another reason why I had to get away!" said Andrew as he threw handful after handful of mini bombs at the Neo Shadows, "things were so quiet at Hogwarts!"

"Oh come on," said Jill, whom was smiling gleefully as she fought alongside Kairi and Tess, "you love the thrill of battle and you know it!"

"Sora!" shouted Andrew as he pulled out a larger bomb, one the size of a chicken egg and threw it at the attacking Heartless, destroying a score, which were soon replaced by more, "did I ever tell you my wife's old nickname?"

"Don't you dare tell them!" snapped Jill, "I'm not that reckless anymore!"

"Oh come on," said Andrew as he grinned, "if you're not like that, then you shouldn't be ashamed," he looked at Andrew, "back when we were getting started with The Ramblers, Jill was so reckless and eager for battle, we used to call her Lady Deathwish."

"And I hated it!" snapped Jill as she fought harder, slaying more and more Heartless, "I don't have a death wish! I'm not suicidal! I'm not! I'M NOT!" she then began slaying even more Heartless faster than Sora and the others were.

"Goodness!" said an astonished Kairi, "she's…"

"Amazing," said Riku.

"Fantastic," said Tess.

"Beautiful," said Andrew in an adoring tone.

Yet even Jill's furious swordsmanship only made things worse as more and more Heartless swarmed into the area, threatening to smother our heroes and allies with sheer numbers.

But then came multiple shouts of "_Expecto Patronum_!"

From the wands of several witches and wizards, from teachers and students, came pure white lights and in some cases, animals, all made of happy memories. There was Cho's swan, Tara's sparrow hawk and Jessie's leopard.

The pure happiness of the spells overwhelmed the dark energies of the Neo Shadows and destroyed them by the hundreds and stopping further Heartless from coming in. With room to breathe, our heroes and allies soon had the remaining Neo Shadows destroyed.

"Well, that was fun," said Jill happily, "let's do it again soon."

"You may just get your chance," said one of the masked men, one with a raven-mask as he too pulled out a wand.

"Who are you?" Jessie demanded as she stalked forward, "you come into this village, a safe haven for witches and wizards in a world that still isn't ready to for our kind to reveal ourselves to the Muggles, and you threaten to murder eight innocent children."

"We're not children!" snapped Aiden.

"The point," said Jessie, "is that you," she pointed an accusing finger at the masked wizard, "is that you have a lot to answer for!"

"That you do," said Professor McGonagall as she walked towards the area, "what gives you the right to selfishly and remorselessly decide the fate of these young men and women whom had committed no crime or done no wrong against you?"

"I keep telling you people," said the masked wizard, "it's what they're going to do that merits their destruction. Very soon, the Keyblade Wielders are going to do something that will threaten all life on the world. What are eight insignificant lives, whom aren't even from this world, when compared to the countless lives native to our Earth?"

"All life is precious!" said Professor McGonagall, "no matter the circumstances, no one deserves to be sacrificed for a greater good. It is that kind of thinking that helped Lord Voldemort become the monster that he was!"

"How dare you compare me to that soul-mangled bastard!" snapped the raven-masked wizard as he reached into his robe pocket and took hold of something, but didn't take it out, "my comrades and I are the good guys! We're trying to keep the world safe! Minerva, please, try to understand!"

At that Professor McGonagall blinked in shock, "who are you? Your voice, you…sound familiar."

"I've said too much," muttered the raven-masked wizard as he moved his fingers in his pocket. A faint clacking sound, like two small stones knocking against each other, could be heard, "I shouldn't have used her name."

Just then Jill tensed again, "Watch out!" she shouted, then pulled Sora and Kairi out of the way as the second masked wizard appeared yet again, this time brandishing two short swords aimed for their hearts.

Jill got them out of the way just in time, forcing the masked wizard to overbalance. Andrew then pulled out his .475 pistol and shot the masked wizard in the left foot, reducing it to a bloody pulp.

Crippled, the masked wizard collapsed to the ground, grunting in pain. Jill then ran over and kicked his wand and swords away.

"Now stay still, you fool!" snapped Jill as she aimed the point of her saber at the mask wizard's throat.

"End this before any more blood is spilled!" insisted Professor McGonagall.

"It'll end either with the brats dead or the world dead!" snapped the masked wizard. He then pulled off his mask, revealing a heavily tanned face with bloodshot eyes.

At that Jessie blinked in shock, "Uriah? Uriah Clark? But…"

"Elmsworth," said the wizard, Uriah Clark, "sorry we had to meet again like this, but I had my mission. Now I've failed and must pay the price," he then clenched his teeth hard and our heroes heard something crunch.

"A suicide capsule!" shouted Jill, "stop him!"

But it was too late. His eyes fully dilating and foam dripping from his mouth, Uriah Clark died.

"You fool!" snapped Professor McGonagall at the first masked wizard, "why did this have to happen!?"

"Because there's too much at stake to tolerate failure," said the masked wizard.

"Well, you've failed now, stranger," said Andrew as he aimed his pistol at the masked wizard, "and before you try to curse me or something, I'm told that I've got really fast hands."

"Don't forget us," said Sora as he, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Roxas, Namine and Malcolm, readied to keep fighting, "the ones you were so eager to kill."

"And us," said Tara, while the other witches and wizards nodded in agreement.

"Very well," said the masked wizard, "I shall take my leave," he then glared at Sora, "Uriah was my friend. His death will haunt me to my dieing day, but his sacrifice won't be in vain. But I am willing to be humane and give you Keyblade Wielders one chance, this one chance! Leave this world and never return. Forget Hogwarts, forget our kind of magic, and forget The Sign of The Sacred Heart, for that is the key to the destruction of the world!" with that he disapparated.

"Well, that sucked," said Roxas.

"I guess we'll be packing our bags and going home now," said Naminé,

"Are you kidding?" Aiden asked, "we're not running away, not now."

"Someone on this world doesn't like us," said Riku, "someone willing to kill us to prevent something horrible."

"Well, that's not going to happen," said Sora, "we're staying, and whatever we're going to do, whatever horrible thing that's supposed to happen, we're going to stop it. And if these jerks still want to kill us, we'll stop them too, believe it!"

**The end of chapter 3.**

Next chapter finds our heroes drawn deeper into circumstances beyond their control, while Maleficent and Xehanort complete their latest diabolical plan. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	4. Chapter 4: Lakeside Lamentation

Last time found the villains enjoying Dr. Insano testing, or rather, tormenting, Gaston and Lady Tremaine. The two mutated villains gave their new powers a shakedown, while Maleficent and Xehanort planned an attack on Hogwarts. Meanwhile, Sora and the gang experienced more classes at Hogwarts, including Defense Against the Dark Arts, taught by Professor Jessie Elmsworth. Jessie told our heroes that their coming to Hogwarts was prophesized by Professor Trelawney. Later on, after scheduling an exhibition Quidditch match, Sora and the gang went to Hogsmeade, only to be assaulted by two masked wizards in black cloaks, whom said that they had to murder our heroes or something terrible would happen. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 4: Lakeside Lamentation**

"Okay, let's just take a step back and figure this out," said Aiden, "what the hell just happened here?"

"Someone tried to kill us, duh!" exclaimed Malcolm as he pointed at the dead wizard in the street.

"At least no one got hurt," said Kairi.

"And no damage was inflicted on the village," said Jessie as she knelt down beside the dead wizard, "but why? Why did Uriah Clark want to kill you younglings?"

"Who is, I mean, who was Uriah Clark?" Riku asked

"He was in the same year as I was," said Jessie, "a Ravenclaw. We dated a few times, but I lost track of him a bit after graduation, as if he fell off of the map. I nearly forgot about him. But now…"

"But now he seems to have fallen in with dark wizards," said Professor McGonagall.

"One of which you happen to know, Headmistress," said Neville.

"You recognized his voice, Headmistress," said Cho.

"If you know something, tell us, Headmistress," said Tara, "Please!"

"That will be enough of that!" snapped Professor McGonagall, "Ms. Underhill, kindly escort your fellow students back to the castle. Professors Longbottom and Connor, you will help disperse the crowd, while Professor Longbottom will send a letter to the Ministry of this…this…fiasco! And fetch Professor Slughorn if you'd be so kind! Professor Elmsworth, do stay and help explain the situation to me."

"I said that this man was a friend of mine," said Jessie, "but…I haven't seen him in nearly fifteen years. Anything could have happened to him since then."

"Including going crazy!" said Aiden, "why did he want to kill us?"

"That other guy said something about The Sign of The Sacred Heart," said Sora, "but what about it? We only just heard about it the other day."

"Someone thinks we're going to do something terrible," said Tess, "we should leave."

"But I said we can't leave," said Sora, "how do we know that these guys won't come after us wherever we go?"

"There's no way we can lead them back to our universe," said Kairi, "a lot of innocent people could get hurt if they try to come after us."

"A lot of innocent people could get hurt if we stay," said Tess.

"Well, you can't leave now," said Jessie, "not while there's an active investigation going on. An attack was made on Hogwarts guests, and as Defense Against The Dark Arts professor, I'm responsible for the safety of all those under the roof of the castle."

"This is only the tip of the iceberg," said Jill, "where there's two assassins, there may just as well be an army."

"An army of dark wizards who can summon Heartless," said Andrew.

"Uriah wasn't a dark wizard!" snapped Jessie, "he was a nice boy, very quiet, very dedicated to his studies. He wanted to work in The Ministry, starting as a file clerk and working his way up to an undersecretary position. That was his plan. He would never had dreamed of dabbling in the dark arts, never!"

"He dropped off of the map for fifteen years," said Jill, "people can change."

"He's clearly not the young wizard you knew," said Naminé, while Roxas knelt beside the body to check his pockets.

"Don't!" snapped Andrew, "you'll contaminate the evidence!"

"What evidence?" Sora asked, "it's just a dead body."

"You clearly don't know that much about forensics," said Jill.

"I only dabble," said Andrew, "but I've seen plenty of crime scene TV shows to know that you never mess with a dead body."

"The sooner we get someone to process the body," said Jill, "the sooner we find out who he worked for and what they'll do next."

"It's not just a body!" snapped Jessie, "Uriah was my friend. He…he probably just fell in with the wrong crowd." she then used her wand to summon her notebook and began writing in it.

"Now's not the time to be working on your memoirs," said Jill, "we have a situation on our hands."

Just then a wizard in his late 40's, wearing blue and green robes cut as a business suit, with short black hair, dark purple eyes and an angular face, apparated into the area, "did someone call for a crime scene expert?" the wizard asked. "Investigator Wesley Burk, Auror Office, at your service."

"Well, we've got a dead wizard here," said Jessie, "his name is…was, Uriah Clark. He tried to murder eight children, we stopped him and he committed suicide."

"Is that so," said Investigator Burk. He then took a pair of glasses out from his pocket, walked over to the body and looked at it, "hmm…suicide, you say?"

"If you'd give me just a moment, Wesley," said Professor Slughorn as he hurried as best he could into the area, "I believe I can identify the poison involved."

"How'd you get here so quickly?" Aiden asked. He then looked at Investigator Burk, "and how'd _you _get here so quickly?"

"When a wizard commit's a crime, we Aurors have to be first off the mark in order to bring the offender to justice," said Investigator Burk.

"Well, this criminal is dead," said Jill, "but there was another with him," she then looked at Professor McGonagall, "assuming someone whom is supposed to be my friend would just tell me what she knows."

"I cannot be certain," said Professor McGonagall, "I thought I recognized the man's voice, but…I just don't know for sure."

"I'd be more than happy to take your statement when you're ready, professor McGonagall," said Investigator Burk, "Now, Professor Slughorn, being the expert in potions and poisons, have you identified the method of suicide?"

"Rotosiak," said Professor Slughorn as he stepped away from the body, "very similar to cyanide. Death occurred within seconds."

"Very well," said Investigator Burk, "we know how he killed himself. But why?" he then looked at Sora and the others, "why did he want to kill you?"

Sora, Riku, Kairi, Tess, Aiden, Malcolm, Roxas and Naminé, as well as Jill and Andrew, all took turns telling Investigator Burk what happened.

"And now comes the hard part," said Investigator Burk, "finding out the motive. But first things first…" he then took out his wand and cast a spell that vanished the body, "I sent it back to the Auror Office for examination. I'll stay in Hogsmeade to take further statements from the town residence's, as well as the staff and students of Hogwarts."

"That's all?" Sora asked.

"That's all," said Investigator Burk, "we at the Auror Office like to be as efficient as possible." He then looked at Professor's McGonagall, Slughorn and at Jessie, "I'll come up to begin taking statements later this afternoon." He then looked at Sora and the others, "and as for you all, I suggest that you go about your normal routine."

"Our lives are anything but normal routines," said Kairi.

"But, wait," said Riku, "aren't you going to keep us in the loop?"

"We were the ones whom that guy and the other tried to have killed," said Malcolm, "they used Heartless."

"And we will get to the bottom of this," said Investigator Burk, "but you take it into account that it's in the hands of the authorities now. We'll inform you as to the results of the investigation."

"Don't argue with him, he's a professional," said Professor Slughorn, "and a good friend of mine," he looked at Investigator Burk, "isn't that right, Wesley?"

"You know me too well, Horace," said a smiling Investigator Burk.

"Well, if that's how things are done around here," said Sora, "then that's how we'll do it."

It didn't take much to convince everyone else that it was best to go back to the castle.

"Well, here's one weekend we'll never forget," said Aiden as the Keyblade Wielders, Jill and Andrew, and the Professors, all headed back to Hogwarts.

"I'm still trying to understand how we've got enemies on this world," said Kairi, "we only got here two days ago. How can we have made others hate us so much so soon?"

"Have you seen the kind of enemies we collect?" Tess asked.

"It's still a puzzling scenario," said Jessie as she wrote in her notebook, "I know that enough time can change anyone, but Uriah wasn't the kind of person to give in to reckless hate on a whim. Something had to completely change his outlook on life, something that could make him want to murder you young heroes, something like…" she paused in thought, a thought that made her look very nervous, "like…prior knowledge, as if Uriah and his comrades, whomever they are…they knew that The Keyblade Wielders were coming."

"Jessica?" Professor McGonagall asked cautiously, "what are you implying?"

"Headmistress," said Jessie in a serious tone, "I know what your feelings are on the subject of Divination, and I know that you're not that close a friend of Professor Trelawney, but she has had made prophecies that have come true. She foresaw the coming of Sora and his friends, foresaw that they would be involved in The Sign."

"You think that someone else had a prophecy of us?" Kairi asked, "that they saw us doing something terrible?"

"We'd never do anything terrible!" said Sora, "not willingly."

"But we don't even know what we're supposed to do," said Riku.

"Which is why as soon as I get back to the castle," said Jessie, "I'm going to have a long, serious talk with Sybil Trelawney, as well as call in a few favors with some friends of mine in The Department of Mysteries. We've got to know what was in that Prophecy. It may just help our world advert a serious disaster."

"In the meantime," said Professor McGonagall, "we must see to the safety of the students. I'm canceling all extracurricular activities, including tomorrow's exhibition Quidditch match."

"What? No!" exclaimed Tara. By now they were all back at the castle and Tara was waiting for them, having heard Professor McGonagall's last statement, "Headmistress! You can't cancel the match! You just can't!"

"Ms. Underhill! Control yourself!" snapped Professor McGonagall, "we're facing a potential crisis!"

"I know, I was there when those maniacs attacked Sora and the others," said Tara, "but we beat them back! You can't just call off the match just because of a pair of two insane dark wizards."

"One of those insane dark wizards was my friend!" said Jessie irately.

"Well, he wasn't my friend!" said Tara in an equally irate tone, "with all due respect, Professor Elmsworth, but if we let what's clearly an act of terrorism ruin what's supposed to be a happy occasion, one held for the benefit of our friends and the enjoyment of everyone, then we let the terrorists win."

"Over my dead body!" said an outraged Aiden.

"No way are we letting the terrorists win!" exclaimed Sora, "I hate terrorists! If they want to kill me and my friends, they can try, and fail."

"And we want to see Quidditch," said Kairi as she gave Sora a knowing and slightly annoyed tone.

"That too," said Sora as he stubbornly crossed his arms.

"You know, Headmistress," said Jessie, "there is the possibility that we still can have the match," she then looked at Jill and Andrew, "with the right person called in for protection."

"Laura?" Jill asked.

"No, she's on assignment in Kuala Lumpor," said Andrew. He then looked at Sora and the others, "don't ask."

"We don't even want to know what Laura's gotten herself into," said Riku

"What about Emory Quinn?" Jill asked.

"He's in Antarctica," said Andrew.

"Oh, right," said Jill, "I met him while looking for you. What about Shawn?"

"I don't want to talk to him right now," said Andrew as he stubbornly crossed his arms, "I don't even want to look at him, let alone Violet, not until I've had time to take things over."

"You really need to loosen up about this," said Jill, "anyway, let's see," she then began pacing in thought, "who's available? Whom isn't on my husband's 'I hate at this moment' list? Hmm…I know! Olivia!"

"Olivia Kursk?" Andrew asked hesitantly, "I…I guess she's alright."

"She's perfect for the job," said Jill.

"Why?" Kairi asked.

"First of all, she's not on an active assignment right now," said Jill, "second of all, Olivia Kursk's power is purely defensive. She can sense danger far better than I can. With my power, I can tell when someone or something is about to attack me, but I only know that there's danger and from which direction, no further details than that.

"But Olivia can sense danger to a finer degree. As a bonus, she also can project a protective barrier that wards danger away, and she can make the barrier big enough to cover the whole castle."

"Sounds like a real hero," said Riku, "but what's the catch?"

"The catch is that she's weird," said Andrew, "not as weird as me, but…just strange. She rarely talks, in English that is. Most of the time, she's muttering to herself in Russian."

"A legacy of her immigrant father," said Jill, "but there's nothing wrong with Olivia. I can clear it with Director Walker right now and Olivia will be here tonight."

"Will that satisfy you, Headmistress?" Jessie asked, "having a Meta Human with such a protective power, as well as the rest of us here to keep the students safe?"

At that Sora could tell that Professor McGonagall was feeling very ambiguous. On the one had, she had her responsibility as Headmistress of Hogwarts, to keep the castle and students safe against all those who would threaten them. But on the other hand there was her love of Quidditch, that combined with her trust of the Meta Humans.

"Alright then," said McGonagall, "I will…consider the matter further. Jill, have Ms. Kursk come to the castle, if only to add to the protections of the school. As to tomorrow's Quidditch match, you'll have my final decision first thing in the morning. But until then, consider it still on."

"Thank you, Headmistress!" said a joyful Tara, "you won't regret it!" with that she hurried off to tell her friends and pretty much the rest of the student body.

"There goes a very happy girl," said Jessie as she wrote in her notebook, "well now," she then looked at Sora and the others, "haven't you lot better get to work on solving the mystery of The Sign? This new enemy seems to think you're going to use it to destroy the world, or something horrible in that manner. I say, we prove them wrong."

"I love proving those who hate us wrong," said an eager Tess.

"Then we'd better get to work," said Sora.

"Alright," said Aiden as he pressed his wrists, "let's solve this mystery!"

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion…**

"Satisfied?" Xehanort asked as he and Maleficent stood over a drawing table that displayed a 3D map of Hogwarts, Hogsmeade and the surrounding environment.

"Greatly," said Maleficent.

"So, what's the plan?" Regina asked as she, Sephiroth, Dio Brando, Lady Tremaine, Gaston and Doctor Insano, walked over.

"We will…deposit, Gaston and Lady Tremaine here," said Xehanort as he pointed at the map, "in the woods known as The Forbidden Forest, well beyond the detection of the wizards and witches of Hogwarts."

"They, along with a sizeable force of Heartless at their disposal," said Maleficent, "shall advance upon the castle and tear it down, piece by piece. They are to inflict maximum destruction and despair upon the foolish young magic users there, while making Sora as miserable as possible."

"I can hardly wait to rip that castle apart," said Gaston eagerly.

"And tremble in anticipation of destroying all hope and happiness of those wretched children," said Lady Tremaine.

"Yeah, that's all well and grand," said Dio Brando, "but what are we supposed to do during all of this?"

"You can sit and watch, if that's what you wish," said Xehanort, "or…"

"Or you can join in this expedition and assist in the eradication of Hogwarts," said Maleficent.

"We do not need their assistance!" said Lady Tremaine.

"I don't need _your _help!" said Gaston, "I can destroy that castle all by myself!"

"Where as I do not need your help rendering those wretched young witches and wizards into hopeless masses of quivering jelly," said Lady Tremaine, "nevertheless, we are stuck with each other."

"Yes, a pity," said Gaston, "so we might as well get along, for now."

"We agree on that," said Lady Tremaine.

"Would you mind if I came along?" Sephiroth asked as he polished the blade of Masamune, "I believe the time for a rematch with Sora and his companions is at hand."

"Save Riku for me," said Dio Brando as he cracked his knuckles, "I've a score to settle with him."

"I too wish to settle a score," said Regina, "this will be an indirect vengeance, but it shall be oh so sweet."

"And what of the good doctor?" Xehanort asked, "does he not wish to partake in the coming revenge?"

"I've got better things to do than waste my time on petty revenge," said Doctor Insano, "my bone to pick is with Ansem, I've merely to think of the proper means of his demise."

"Like that giant robot of yours?" Dio Brando laughed, "yeah, that was a success."

"It was that green ninja's fault that Neutro 2.5 failed!" exclaimed Insano, "that and those brats with Ansem! They'll pay, they'll all pay! And I shall be the one to collect!" he then raised his finger triumphantly, "with SCIENCE!" he then laughed like the maniac he was.

"Yeah, yeah, go play with your test tubes," said Dio Brando, "the rest of us will have our grudges satisfied."

"Would you all mind if I went back to the cavern for a moment?" Regina asked, "I have a little something…special…prepared that would fit this occasion most effectively."

"What's that then?" Dio Brando asked.

"You'll see," said Regina as she smiled mischievously. With that she summoned a Dark Corridor and went through.

"Oh, I'd like to read her spell book, if you know what I mean," said Dio Brando as he grinned with lustful eagerness.

"Oh, do my goggled eyes see that you've got a crush on the evil queen?" Insano asked as he tapped his gloved fingers together.

"Just animal attraction," said Dio Brando, "love'em and leave'em to rot, that's my style."

"You'll have plenty of time to indulge your carnal desires later," said Xehanort, "for now, prepare yourself. Hogwarts has some of the best magical protections just about anywhere. You'll need more than just time-stopping to get inside."

"I'll be ready," said Dio Brando.

"We all will," said Sephiroth, "this will be a battle that Sora and his companions will never forget."

* * *

**…Maleficent's Cavern…**

Regina retrieved a small black briefcase from her quarters and was just about to summon a Dark Corridor back to Castle Oblivion, when she paused in thought. Maleficent was out of the cavern, so why not indulge in some curiosity?

Quickly and carefully, Regina went to an alcove in the cavern that was recently excavated with Maleficent's dark magic. The alcove was circular, twenty feet across and had a pit sunk fifteen feet below ground level. In the pit was a large mass of pulsating flesh that glowed with alternating green, yellow and purple lights.

Regina backed away from the mass of flesh in revulsion, yet her eyes remained locked with disgusted fascination.

"I know," said Maleficent as she appeared behind Regina, startling the former evil queen, "it is an abomination, but necessary."

"It's difficult enough living in this subterranean hovel," said Regina, "with only the basics for survival."

"I hve provided warmth, hot and cold running water, whatever foods that you desire," said Maleficent, "not to mention a new wardrobe which I created myself. You can thank my host's sense of fashion for that. And let us not forget that you owe your health, beauty and youth to me," she then summoned the latest dose of the potion that Regina needed.

"You don't have to remind me that I'm a slave to that restorative draft," said Regina as she eyed the vial of the potion, "one day, Maleficent, one day I shall discover its secrets. Then I shall be free of you once and for all."

"But until then you are mine!" snapped Maleficent, "you and Lady Tremaine! You will obey me in all things until I no longer have use of you!"

"Yes, you still have the advantage," said Regina, "for now."

"Yes, for now," said Maleficent. She then handed the potion to Regina, whom downed it immediately.

"Now," said Regina as she vanished the empty vial, "where were we? Ah yes…the conditions of this place. Yes, you make it livable, but that!" she pointed at the mass of flesh, "do you have to keep that…that filth here!?

"That filth is the future!" said Maleficent, "that writhing mass of protoflesh is the offspring of Xorat and Kiraxi," she then walked to the edge of the pit and looked down at the pulsating mass, "it has grown according to my projected schedule, but it is still far from completion. Another eight months are needed before my twelve dark warriors will mature."

"Eight months?" Regina asked, "why that long?"

"Because that's how long my twelve dark warriors need," said Maleficent, "I could make them mature faster, but the accelerated growth would produce inferior creatures; weak in both mind and body, as well as rather unpleasant to look at. No, my enforcers, my…Dark Dozen, they shall be perfect. I expect nothing more and will except nothing less."

"Perfection isn't everything," said Regina, "I tried keep my land perfect by eliminating Snow White, the girl whom dared to be fairer than I. You know what I received for my troubles; a decrepit, crippled body. I regained my youth, beauty and powers, but at the price of being your servant."

She then clenched her fists, "But this time will be different!" snapped Regina, "this time I shall truly be the fairest of them all! Once I've finished settling into my new powers and given those Keyblade brats a run for their money, I'll make Snow White regret her ever being born!"

"Yes, embrace the darkness," said Maleficent, "master it and make it your own. Now, I do believe you have the necessary?"

"I do," said Regina as she held up the black suitcase, "this little piece of dark magic will definitely make life at Hogwarts most…interesting."

"Then there's no time to waste," said Maleficent as she summoned a Dark Corridor, "let us make the final preparations. This is to be a momentous occasion, a dark event that shall be remembered for eons to come!"

With that the two of them stepped through the Dark Corridor, which vanished after them.

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion…**

"Everything has been prepared on my behalf," said Xehanort as Maleficent and Regina arrived back.

"As are my preparations," said Maleficent.

"We're as ready as we can be," said Lady Tremaine, while Gaston nodded in agreement.

"So are we," said Sephiroth as he sheathed Masamune.

"Then can we get this over with?" Dio Brando asked, "I want to get my revenge groove on!"

"Good luck," said Insano, "you'll need it."

"I prefer to make my own luck," said Regina.

"Then go forth!" said Maleficent, "go! Destroy Hogwarts and the Keyblade Wielders, and drive Sora into the depths of despair!"

"Consider it done," said Sephiroth. With that a Dark Corridor was summoned. Sephiroth, Dio Brando, Regina, Lady Tremaine and Gaston, all stepped through it, with the portal vanishing after them.

"This will either be a great triumph," said Xehanort, "or a complete disaster. Fate is such a fickle mistress."

"They will succeed," said Maleficent, "for if they return in failure, I shall see to it that they wish that they had not returned at all."

* * *

The five villains exited the Dark Corridor in a small clearing in a forest.

"We should be less than a hundred yards from the edge of the woods," said Lady Tremaine, "and from there just a stone's throw away from the castle, that is, according to the information that Xehanort provided."

"According to the magically enhanced GPS data he acquired, that is," said Sephiroth as he checked a PDA with a GPS app, "but according to this…we're twenty kilometers from Hogwarts."

"How'd that happen?!" Gaston exclaimed, "I was told that these Dark Corridors of yours were spot-on accurate."

"They should be," said Regina as she paced back and forth in thought, "there's no reason why we shouldn't have arrived where we should have been…unless…yes, of course. I should have anticipated this."

"Anticipated what?" Dio Brando asked.

"Hogwarts," said Regina, "there's so much magic there, it deflected the arrival point of the Dark Corridor. I'd say we got lucky."

"Lucky?" Gaston asked.

"We could have arrived hundreds of kilometers from Hogwarts," said Regina, "thousands, even so far as on the other side of the world, or even underwater or underground."

"Twenty kilometers," said Dio Brando, "that's no simple stroll in the park."

"And at night," said Lady Tremaine as she and the others watched the sun dip below the horizon, "from what we've learned of the Forbidden Forest, there's a lot of dangerous creatures in these woods, the majority of which come out at night."

"Then we'll just have to be careful," said Regina.

"That we shall," said Sephiroth. With that the five of them set off through the woods, unaware that from the moment the arrived on the world, they were being watched by a pair of unforgiving eyes.

* * *

**…Hogwarts…**

"Okay, as the tree said to the lumberjack, 'I'm stumped,'" said Sora. He, Riku, Kairi and the others were sitting in the guest suite with a copy of the image of The Sign of The Sacred Heart, as well as a copy of the woodcarving drawing from the old book, the image that showed the four founders around The Sign. It was well after dark and the room was lit with dozens of flickering candles.

"We've been going over The Sign for…how long has it been?" Kairi asked. She then yawned before asking, "what time is it anyway?"

"I'm not sure," said Aiden as he looked at his watch with blinking eyes, "my eyes feel funky."

"It's all these candles," said Tess, "they're not very good for the eyes."

"I'd give one of my eyes for an electric bulb," said Roxas as he picked at a plate of chicken cordon bleu that had been sent up from the kitchens along with the rest of dinner that our heroes requested.

"Oh, let's just face it," said an irate Riku as he got up from his chair, "we've read every piece of information about The Sign there is, from the moment it was discovered on the castle walls, all of the locations in Hogwarts it was found, all the archeological and scholar notes, we even managed to get that old book from the library. We've done everything we can and we've got nothing. Whatever those idiots who tried to kill us are so afraid of, we're clearly not going to do it."

"You want to give up?" Tess asked. "Just pack it in and go home?"

"Hell no!" said Riku, "we've only been here at Hogwarts for three days and there's still so much to learn."

"Plus the Quidditch match tomorrow," said a grinning Naminé.

"That too," said Sora.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you," said Malcolm, "but I'm ready to call it a night."

"He's right," said Kairi, "we're not going to get anywhere on tired minds, so let's all go to bed and get some sleep."

"Start over in the morning," said Sora, "yeah, that's a good idea."

They all got ready for bed, said their goodnights and were soon asleep. But then they were all shaken out of their dreams by a loud banging on the suite door.

"What the hell…!?" exclaimed Riku as everyone gathered in the lounge of the suite, "it's three in the morning!"

"Unless it's the end of the world or something just as bad," said an irate Aiden, "I'm going to kill whoever's on the other end of that door."

From the other side of the door came Jessie's voice, "You wouldn't be the first to try to kill me. Now open up, it's important!"

"Sorry, Jessie," said Sora as he opened the door.

"It's alright," said Jessie as she hurried into the room, "I wouldn't have woken you all up, but I figured you'd want to hear it right away. I spent half the night talking to her, but I convinced Sybil Trelawney to come down from her ivory tower and talk to you about the prophecy."

"Then what are we waiting for!" said Sora, "let's talk to her, so where is she?"

"I'm already here, my dears," said a soft and misty voice from behind our heroes, causing them all to jump in surprise. They then all turned and saw a tall, spindly woman wearing a large, orange, gauzy shawl and a lot of beads, bangles and rings. She wore enormous glasses that greatly enlarged her eyes, giving her an overall insect-like appearance.

"My dear Keyblade Wielders," said Professor Trelawney in an airy, enthusiastic tone, "I was so looking forward to this meeting. The inner eye enlightened me to the moment when you would need my help."

"Yes, yes, that's all well and good, Sybil," said Jessie in an impatient tone, "I'm sure that Sora and the others would love to sit down and have their palms read, as well as their tea leaves and gaze into your impressive collection of crystal balls. But this is important. They need to know of the prophecy."

"Ah, yes, my recent vision," said Professor Trelawney, "you know, I am told that my powers to see beyond that which can be seen with normal eyes has been rather dubious, so say the more skeptic students whom enter my classroom. Yet a seerer I am nonetheless. I have recently acquired a special quill to record any prophecies I give, however infrequent they may be."

"Every prophecy is automatically recorded in The Department of Mysteries," said Jessie, "and only those concerned in the prophecies are allowed to see those records. But anyone present when the prophecy was made can talk about it," she then frowned, "unfortunately, Sybil was alone when she made this one."

"Which is why I was prepared," said Professor Trelawney as she pulled out a scroll. Sora and the others gathered around to read the clear handwriting…

_The eight warriors of light, seven of whom wield The Key, shall come, and bedlam shall follow in their wake. The sacred heart, sealed away by the great four, shall be unsealed. All life shall be weighed, and if found wanting, lost, and the door of the forgotten shall be opened._

"That's it?" Sora asked.

"That's it," said Jessie. She then glared at Professor Trelawney, "unless your special quill isn't as effective as you thought."

"I had that quill specially made in Diagon Alley, Jessica," said Professor Trelawney, "I wouldn't have purchased it if I did not need it. The price for being a seerer is to forget the prophecies once they're made. Yet having made several predictions of dark times that came all too true, I found it necessary to being able to know of them so as to best interpret them. Does that not seem prudent, Jessica?"

"Unfortunately yes, Sybil," said Jessie, "but what our friends from another world want to know is what the hell does the prophecy mean?"

"The first part's easy enough," said Naminé, "we're the eight warriors of light."

"And the wielders of the key," said Sora.

"And being Keyblade Wielders," said Aiden, "trouble is usually two steps in front and behind us."

"But what about the part about all life being weighed and found wanting?" Kairi asked, "that phrase usually means something bad, right?"

"It didn't mean good news for Babylon," said Jessie, "but not every prophecy has come true, not to the exact letter that is. We can still make things turn out alright."

"We can try," said Professor Trelawney, "we can try, but even if we are forewarned of the dangers to come, does not guarantee preventing that danger."

"But knowing the future changes it!" said Jessie. She then sighed, "no, I'm not going to debate with you, Sybil. All I want is to help our friends from another world."

"Can I say something?" Riku asked, "can't we just worry about all of this in the morning?"

"Yeah, some of us actually need sleep," yawned Sora.

"You're right," said Jessie, "alright, we'll worry about the prophecy in the morning."

"Goodnight, my dears," said Professor Trelawney, "may the future be bright for you, no matter what dark obstacles lay in your paths," she turned to leave, but then paused to look back at Aiden, "oh, before I forget, I'd be careful during breakfast if I were you," with that she left.

"What was that all about?" Aiden asked in a confused tone.

"Oh, Sybil likes to drop hints about the future now and then," said Jessie, "some of them come true, but they're just lucky guesses. Alright, back to bed, all of you." With that she left the room.

"She's one to talk," said Malcolm as everyone headed back to bed, "she's the one who woke us up."

"She believed it was important," said Tess, "but seriously, she couldn't have waited until daylight?"

"I don't know and right this moment, I don't care," said Malcolm, "I just want to get a few more hours of sleep."

"You won't get any arguments from me," said Sora. In a short while they were all back in bed and soon fast asleep.

But dawn came far too soon and it was time to get up.

"I can say this," remarked Tess as she and the others all headed down to breakfast, "as soon as we're done here at Hogwarts, we're going on a nice, long vacation, where we can sleep in and not have to worry about magic, Heartless or anyone trying to kill us."

"And no prophecies," said Riku.

"That too," said Tess.

Sora then stopped and looked at a patch on the wall. Kairi and the others stopped as well and looked at what Sora was looking at. It was one of the many carvings of The Sign that were scattered across Hogwarts.

"Whomever made these things thought they were important," said Sora as he looked at the heart inside the decagram and circle. He reached out to touch the many runes in the symbol.

"We know that," said Kairi, "but…"

"But what are they?" Sora asked, "why did they put them all over the castle? What do they have to do with The Four Founders?"

"More importantly, what do they have to do with the people who want us dead?" Malcolm asked.

"That's what we all hope to figure out," said Jill as she and Andrew walked towards our heroes. With them was a woman in her mid 20's with shoulder length brown hair, orange eyes, medium skin tone and wearing a blue and white shirt and skirt with brown shoes. She had a quiet look about her as she looked around the corridor.

"Oh, good, you're all up and still in one piece," said Andrew, "every day you go to bed and wake up alive is a victory against The Great Equalizer."

"The what?" Aiden asked.

"Death," said the woman in a distant tone with a slight Russian accent, "death is The Great Equalizer."

"Always a bright ray of sunshine, aren't you," said Jill. She then looked at Sora and the others, "this is Olivia Kursk."

"_dObra-ye Ootra_," said Olivia Kursk. With that she began walking down the corridor, stopping here and there to look out one of the windows.

"That's probably all you'll get out of her," said Andrew, "I know enough of foreign languages to know when someone says 'good morning' and other phrases in order to be polite, but most of what Olivia will say is so heavily accented, it might as well be Troll."

"Well, we've had plenty of experience with those beasties," said Jill, "you want to talk to a Troll, just point and grunt."

"Language aside," said Kairi as she watched Olivia gaze up at some passing clouds, "is she really going to help protect the castle?"

"Olivia can project an impenetrable barrier big enough to cover all of Hogwarts," said Jill, "nothing can get in, except for air."

"And at the same time, nothing can get out," said Andrew, "meaning that so long as Olivia's power is in effect, we'll be trapped."

"Which is why we're going do to our very best to help solve this mystery," said Jill, "that Investigator from yesterday, I didn't exactly like him, he seemed…untrustworthy."

"How?" Tess asked, "he seemed honest to me."

"Honesty is often skin deep," said Jill, "when you've seen as much as I have, you'll learn a lot of ways to tell when someone is not only lying, but also when they're not telling the whole truth. That Investigator Burk, he was hiding something."

"You mean he knew more about the people who attacked us than he lead on?" Riku asked.

"Exactly," said Jill. She then frowned, "unfortunately, I still haven't been able to figure out how to tell what a person is hiding."

"That's why the two of us talked with Ashley Reynolds," said Andrew.

"That really smart Meta Human we met yesterday?" Aiden asked.

"Ashley's a mentat," said Jill, "a living computer, otherwise known as a Krelboyne. Ashley's not only our resident Parapsycholgist, she's also has degrees in archeology and is a natural code breaker. If she can't solve the riddle of The Sign, I don't know who else, at least, no one else whom can come."

"Just how many Meta Humans are there?" Sora asked.

"Thousands," said Andrew, "nearly all of them are affiliated with The Bureau, and only a handful of us know everyone by name."

"And only the best of the best," said Jill, "the ones with the best training, best determination, stamina of mind and body, the best courage and integrity, not to mention the best powers, can be in The Ramblers."

"And Ashley's one of you Ramblers?" Sora asked.

"No, I'm not," said Ashley as she walked up to our heroes, "I'm perfectly happy being a planner, mover and shaker. The others can go tramping around the world, fighting evil and risking death on a daily basis. Me, I prefer to fight with my mind."

"Well, here's a chance to prove just how smart you are," said Jill.

Sora then handed to Ashley a copy of the woodcarving picture, "my friends and I have tired to figure out what The Sign is, but no dice."

"Ah, The Sigh of The Sacred Heart," said Ashley as she took the parchment drawing, "I've been meaning to take a crack at it, but I've had way too much on my 'to-do' list."

"Well, your schedule is cleared for the foreseeable future," said Jill, "our friends from another world were attacked yesterday, and The Sign is the key to figuring out why."

"I'll have the answer soon enough," said Ashley, "they haven't made a puzzle, riddle or code that I can't solve."

"I'll hold you to that," said Jill, "the lives of our friends from another world may just depend on your getting this done."

"It's already in the bag," said Ashley as she began studying the parchment drawing.

"Well, now," said Jill, "I suggest that we all just sit back and relax, and enjoy the coming match."

"Are you a fan of Quidditch?" Sora asked.

"I love it," said Jill, "I'd pay real gold to be able to fly a broomstick and join in on the fun."

"You're only saying that because it's the most dangerous sport in the world," said Andrew in an annoyed tone.

"And what's wrong with that?" Jill asked, "I still get a rush out of danger, despite having outgrown my suicidal behavior. And you, Andrew Carpenter, you're still obsessed with time."

"It's more than an obsession," said Andrew as he glanced at his watch. He then looked at Sora and the others, "we're all prisoners and slaves of time, even those who strive for immortality, they still are prisoners of the ages." He then looked at his watch again, then pushed his watch up his shirt sleeve, "we can talk about each other's obsessions until the cows come home, Jill. We're both crazy, but we're even more crazy about each other."

"I love and hate it when you tell that truth," said Jill. She then wrapped her arms around Andrew and kissed him passionately, while he kissed back with equal passion.

Just then Tara walked up to the group, "Sora, I was hoping that you and…" she then saw Jill and Andrew kissing, "oh, excuse me!"

"No, excuse us," said Jill as she and Andrew backed away from each other, "we sometimes lose ourselves in the heat of the moment."

"And sometimes forget that kissing in public is sometimes considered impolite in some cultures," said Andrew.

"As if you dislike snogging," said Jill as she smiled mischievously. She then whispered into Andrew's ear. He then nodded eagerly.

"We'll catch you all at the match," said Jill, and with that the two of them hurried off down of the corridor.

"No doubt they're off to make another baby," said Tara, "but that's really none of our business," she then looked at Sora and the other, "anyway, I hope you all are ready for the match at 11 o'clock."

"We are," said Sora as they all headed for breakfast in the Great Hall, "where will we be sitting?"

"That's what I was going to tell you," said Tara, "how would you all like to sit in the Staff seating at the Quidditch Pitch? It has the best view of the game, and I'll be right next to you."

"You'll be there as well?" Kairi asked.

"Of course, I am Head Girl," said Tara, "and I'll be commentating on the match. Our usual commentator caught Spattergroit and had to go home, so I'll be filling in for her until a new one can be selected."

"What's Spattergroit?" Aiden asked, "sounds painful."

"Trust me, you don't want to know," said Tara, "but let's just say that if you get it, you'll be on your back for months, and…oi! What are you lot up to now!?"

Sora and the others then saw Albus, Rose, Izzy and Scorpio, all of them carrying small baskets of food, heading towards the Entrance Hall.

"Oh, umm…it's not what it looks like, Tara," said Rose, "well…it is…but we have a very good reason for taking our breakfast outside."

"Are you trying to go feed Fluffy?" Tara asked, "Hagrid already told everyone not to! Fluffy's on a special diet and can't have any human food."

"The poor dog's tummy is upset as it is," said Tess.

"We weren't going to feed Fluffy," said Izzy, "we were going to say hello and wish him well, but that would be after breakfast, before we headed to the match.

"We were going to go play with Winston," said Albus.

"Oh, well, that's different," said Tara, "alright, give him my regards, but be careful on the lake shore. The mer-folk aren't exactly happy with us air breathers recently."

"We know," said Scorpio, "trust us, we won't be trying to kiss any mermaids."

"What was that all about?" Sora asked Tara as the four 2nd Years hurried towards the Entrance Hall, "why would they be kissing any mermaids here?"

"And who's Winston?" Riku asked.

"Winston's the giant squid who lives in the lake," said Tara, "he's been there for decades."

"Oh, well, of course they have a giant squid in the lake," said Aiden in a sarcastic manner, "what school is complete without a giant squid in the lake?"

"Oh, don't be that way," said Tara, "Winston's very friendly with the students, especially 1st years. When we all get off of the Hogwarts Express, all 1st Years ride across the lake towards the castle. Every now and then we have a witch or wizard overboard, but Winston has never let a student drown yet."

"A friendly giant squid," said Malcolm, "cool."

"But what was that about kissing mermaids?" Tess asked as they reached the Great Hall.

"Well, I'm sure that you lot have seen mermaids on your travels," said Tara, "but on this world, mer-folk aren't as beautiful as Muggle legends say they are. They're a lot more aquatic than humanoid, they can't be understood above water and they're very territorial. Come too close to one of their settlements uninvited and you're dead.

"Normally we at Hogwarts and the mer-colony in the lake have had a quiet and peaceful relation; we leave them alone and they leave us alone, but both are willing to talk if there's something to talk about. They even helped out during The Tri-Wizard Tournament.

"But then about two years ago, something happened that nearly started a war between the land and the sea. A 7th year wizard, whom was a Slytherin by the way, took a swim in the lake and went too deep. He ran into some Grindilows, rather nasty water monsters by the way, and he nearly drowned. He was saved by a mermaid who pulled him up to the surface. In his air-deprived state of mind, he hallucinated and saw what he wanted to see, a beautiful half woman, half fish creature, and as fate would have it, fell in love.

"I know what you're thinking; a fairytale come to life. Well, that's not how it works. The mer-folk of Hogwarts may have an understanding with us witches and wizards, but as a whole, they don't like humans and want as little as possible with us land-walkers.

"The fact that one of us fell in love with one of them would normally be shrugged off by them, but this young wizard was obsessed with his vision of beauty. He threw himself into finding a way of being with his beloved, researching the best spells for surviving underwater; the Bubble-head charm, gillyweed, even so far as a partial transfiguration to give himself gills."

"Sounds like he was suffering from a massive mind-frak," said Aiden.

"You have no idea," said Tara, "everyone thought he needed time and therapy to get over his obsession, as well as recover from his near-death experience. There was talk about sending him home for a term, possibly to St. Mungo's Hospital for observation, but we underestimated the depths of his delusions, as well as the lengths he went to in order to be with his 'one true love.'"

"Needless to say, he found a way of staying underwater for several hours. He dove down and swam to the mer-colony, searching for his beloved. He found the mermaid who saved his life, and in his addled state, saw her as beautiful as ever. He then saw the other mer-folk as dark creatures holding his love captive and fought them.

"He took the mer-folk by surprise, they weren't expecting to be attacked, so he was able to separate his 'beloved' from the others and before he could be stopped, he kissed her."

Tara then sighed with much remorse, "and then he died."

"What?" Sora asked.

"Why?" Kairi asked.

"How?" Riku asked.

"Mer-folk on our world tend to stay away from humans as much as possible," said Tara, "for many reasons but one in particular; their lips and saliva excrete a deadly toxin. The boy…he…the second he kissed that mermaid, he was as good as dead.

"On the other hand, he was never really alright ever since he nearly drowned. Everyone tried to help him, including me. I was just a lowly 5th Year prefect then, but I tried to help. But some people refuse to be helped, refuse to be saved, so…so he wound up destroying himself."

She sighed again, "afterwards, the mer-folk launched a protest against Hogwarts, demanding an official apology from not only Professor McGonagall but from Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt. There were many in The Ministry whom still see mer-folk as inferior and launched counter protests, saying that if the mer-folk had kept a better handle on the Grindiows, the student wouldn't have gotten into such a mess.

"Harsh words were exchanged on both sides and there was talk of open hostilities, when Minister Shacklebolt put his foot down and apologized in person to the head mermaid, while Professor McGonagall apologized as well. The mer-folk were satisfied and there has been no trouble since. The Headmistress has barred anyone from going more than knee deep into the lake. We have our own indoor swimming pool now, right next to the prefect's bathroom, which is just as big by the way, and so far no one has gone down to see the mer-folk and they've left us alone."

"I'm so sorry," said Kairi, "did you know the wizard? I mean…was he…"

"We were friends," said Tara, "not very close friends, but yes, I knew him." She then smiled, "oh, listen to me, spoiling your appetites with tales of woe and sorrow."

"Are you kidding?" Sora asked, "I could eat a horse."

"Same here," said Roxas.

"Well, naturally," said Naminé, "you two are opposite sides of the same coin," she then looked at Tara, "long story."

"We've got time before the match," said Tara. She then saw Cass heading towards the Great Hall, "and speaking of which…Hey! Cass! I need a favor. Albus and his crew are going to the lake to play with Winston. Be a good friend and keep and eye on them, will you?"

"What? I can't!" said Cass in an insisting, urgent tone, "the match is in a few hours and …"

"I know the match is in a few hours," said Tara, "I know, I arranged it. And before you ask, I know that the team needs you. Look, I'll talk to the others and tell them that you'll be there. Just keep an eye on Albus, Rose, Izzy and Scorpio, and then if they're still at the lake by 10 o'clock, you have my blessing to drag them up to the castle, preferably by their ears."

"It'll be my pleasure for making me late," said Cass, "and for making me miss breakfast."

"I'll have some sent down to you," said Tara, "or you can have some the younglings brought with them. Now get going before they get to the water!"

"Alright, I'm going," said Cass as she headed for the Entrance Hall.

"They'll all be alright," said Tara, "now, what about breakfast?"

* * *

**…Outside…**

"I can't believe how long it took us to get through those blasted woods!" snapped Dio Brando as he, Sephiroth, Gaston, Regina and Lady Tremaine, reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest and finally caught sigh of Hogwarts.

"Twenty kilometers my eye," said Gaston, "it was more like fifty!"

"Well don't blame me for getting us lost four times!" snapped Regina, she then glared at Sephiroth, "you were supposed to be our pathfinder!"

"I did successfully navigate us to the castle," said Sephiroth, "just in a more roundabout manner."

"Well, you shouldn't have gotten us lost in the first place!" snapped Dio Brando, "these woods are creepy enough as it is."

"I agree," said Regina as she eyed the trees suspiciously, "ever since we got here I've felt that we weren't alone."

"Something had been watching us," said Sephiroth as he cleaned spider goop off of Masamune, "but not any more."

"All those giant spiders," said Lady Tremaine, "not a very pleasant welcome."

"And those Centaurs," said Gaston, "the way they just…looked at us…like we were just a passing novelty."

"That's not what I meant," said Regina, "aside from the Acromantua, Centaurs and other nasties who go bump in the night, there was something else in the forest, something watching us, assessing us."

"Well, what was it?" Dio Brando asked.

"I do not know," said Regina, "but it doesn't matter. Night has long passed and with it, the presence watching us."

"About time, I say," remarked Dio Brando.

"Never mind how long it took us to get here," said Lady Tremaine, "we've reached Hogwarts."

"Yes, we're here," said Regina, "now, how shall we go about destroying this wretched school and its students?"

Just then Sephiroth looked down towards the lake, where Albus and Rose were setting up a picnic breakfast, while Izzy and Scorpio were playing catch with Winston the giant squid, with Cass watching from just out of sight.

"My friends," said a wickedly smiling Sephiroth, "I do believe I have an idea."

* * *

**…The Lake…**

"Are you sure we're doing the right thing?" Rose asked as she and her cousin Albus laid out breakfast for the four of them on a spread out blanket, breakfast that consisted of three large loaves of freshly baked bread, several jars of jam, a large corked jug of orange juice, another jug of milk and several small sealed containers that were keeping bacon and eggs warm.

"What do you mean?" Izzy asked as she and Scorpio took turns tossing a large red ball out over the water, where Winston the giant squid was catching the ball with his tentacles and tossing it back to the young magic users.

"Why shouldn't we play with Winston?" Scorpio asked, "we're still on dry land, and you couldn't pay me enough to go more than ankle deep into the lake."

"Me neither," said Albus, "I don't been to sound scared, but you'd have to force me to go into the water. There's angry mer-folk and vicious Grindilows down there."

"Oh, there's far worse things than irate mers and Grindlows down there," said Izzy, "but we don't have to worry about that. Like any of us are think enough to fall in love with a mermaid."

"I was talking about our plan for the unbirthday party," said Rose, "are we really doing the right thing?"

"Of course we're doing the right thing," said Albus, "Professor McGonagall never celebrates her birthday, but not anymore."

"It's more than just an unbirthday party," said Izzy, "it's about showing the headmistress how much we all appreciate her and all the hard work she's done. Being the headmistress of Hogwarts isn't a cakewalk, you know."

"Speaking of cakes," said Scorpio, "we need to talk to the House Elves again about the birthday cake, it's just not right."

"We've talked with the kitchen Elves a dozen times already," said Albus in a slightly annoyed tone, "every time they show us a new design for the cake, you say you like it, then you change your mind the next day."

"At this rate, the cake will never be done," said Izzy. "Nothing will get done if we can't agree on anything."

"Which is why we should think it over and decide if we really want to do this," said Rose, "for all we know, Professor McGonagall would be more upset than surprised and happy."

"We won't know if we don't try," said Izzy, "the worst she can do is throw us into detention for a month or so."

"And take away fifty house points each," said Scorpio, "assuming she doesn't find out that we snuck into Hogsmeade yesterday. Then we'd really be in trouble."

"She'd be less harsh if we knew what we got her as a gift," said Rose.

Just then Albus's older brother James appeared from around a tree, "so, that's what you lot were up to yesterday," he said in a mischievous tone.

"James!" exclaimed Albus irately, while Rose looked at James with annoyed eyes, while Izzy and Scorpio looked like they were both nervous and annoyed.

"You've been spying on us!" snapped Rose, "just wait until I tell Aunt Ginny!"

"Tell her what?" James asked as he walked down to the shoreline and picked up the red ball, "I'm just here to play with an old friend," he then tossed the ball out to the giant squid, "hi, Winston!" he shouted. The giant squid then tossed the ball back and waved with one of his tentacles.

"Don't try to change the subject, big bro," said Albus, "you can't push me around like Uncle Ron was pushed around by his big brothers."

"And you can't intimidate me either," said Rose.

"Oh, you really think me that rotten?" James asked innocently.

"You made Peeves glue all the furniture in our common room to the ceiling," said Scorpio irately, "it took Professor Slughorn and the caretakers days to get everything down."

"Yeah," laughed James, "that was particularly sticky glue I gave Peaves. But that doesn't mean I'm a right git."

"You once put grass snakes in all the girl's dorms in each House," said Izzy.

"And we're still trying to figure out how you did it," said Cass as she walked down to the group.

"But no one got bitten," said James, "and speaking of being rotten, why are you spying on my brother, cousin and friends?"

"Because Tara asked me to make sure they were alright," said Cass. She then looked at Albus, Rose, Izzy and Scorpio, "you can trust me not to tell anyone about Professor McGonagall's surprise party."

"What about our visit to Hogsmeade?" Scorpio asked suspiciously.

"If all you did was pick up a birthday present, then my lips are sealed," said Cass.

"That's good to know," said Albus. He then looked at James, "but what about you, big bro? Can we trust you to keep the secret?"

"I don't know," said James as he smiled mischievously, "it all depends on what you have to offer me. I'll need something to remind me to keep the secret, or I might just accidentally spill the beans to my fellow students, or maybe a prefect, or maybe to a teacher, or maybe to McGonagall herself."

"I'll offer a fist to your face if you do that!" snapped Izzy as she balled up her hand to punch James, but Rose stopped her.

"It's alright," Rose whispered to Izzy, "I know how to handle my cousin."

"How?" Albus asked.

"A little something I've been saving for a while," said Rose, "trust me," she then looked at James as she smiled mischievously, "alright, dear cousin, you know our secret, but I know one of your secrets."

"And what would that be?" James asked daringly.

"I know about the old IPod Nano that grandpa Arthur got you for Christmas," said Rose.

"Grandpa Arthur also got you an IPod Nano for Christmas," said Albus, "he got one for me, Lilly and Hugo too, and he spelled them so they had a very long battery life and could hold over a million songs."

"I know," said Rose, "but what you, your sister and my brother don't know is that I saw James' playlist." At that James blinked in shock.

"Really?" Scorpio asked, "what's on his Muggle music machine?"

"Mostly pop music from the late 90's up until today," said Rose.

"So?" James asked he be began to blush with embarrassment and slight nervousness, "lots of wizards like Muggle music."

"But it's the artists that I was intrigued by," said Rose as she grinned mischievously, "I had no idea you were a Britney Spears fanboy."

"He likes Britney Spears?" Izzy asked as she barely contained her laughter, while Cass was also struggling to contain a fit of the giggles.

"Lots of boys like Britney Spears!" said James defensively as he struggled to maintain his male dignity and pride, but now his face was turning maroon.

"Not only that," said Rose, "you have her entire discography on your IPod, as well as the complete Christina Agurella playlist. You've also got Beyoncé, both before and after she left Destiny's Child, as well as Taylor Swift, Selina Gomez, Demi Lovado, Gwen Stefanni, both before and after she left No Doubt, and let us not forget you've got all of Kylie Minogue."

"I'll bet our Kylie would love to hear that," giggled Cass, while Izzy was on her knees as she also laughed.

"Need I say more?" Rose asked.

"Alright, I'll keep my mouth shut!" snapped James as his entire face went beet red in embarrassment, "just…just don't tell anyone."

"Just so long as you don't spoil Professor McGonagall's party," said Rose.

"Deal," said James as he and Rose shook hands.

Just then Sephiroth appeared, "it's a shame that none of you shall life to see your plan to fruition."

"Who the duce are you?" Cass asked as she quickly drew her wand, beckoning Albus, James, Rose, Izzy and Scorpio to get behind her.

"Some very unpleasant customers when crossed," said Dio Brando as he appeared several paces to Sephiroth's left, while Gaston appeared to the right.

"Which is why," said Regina as she and Lady Tremaine appeared behind the young magic users, "you miserable whelps shall cooperate with us, if you know what is good for you that is."

"Well, there's one thing you can say about young wizards," said James, "we do get into a lot of trouble."

"Don't make jokes at a time like this!" Rose hissed at him.

"I don't know what your game is," said Cass to the villains, "but you should know," she then pointed up at Hogwarts, "there's a whole lot of witches and wizards up there who'll be very upset if you try anything with us."

"Well, then," said Lady Tremaine, "we'll just have to come to an understanding with your upperclasspersons and teachers."

"Don't give us a reason to harm you," said Gaston, "and we won't give the ones at the castle a reason to harm us."

"Fair enough," said Cass cautiously, "so, what are your intentions?"

"As if we would tell our plans to a wet-behind the ears witch," said Lady Tremaine dryly.

"It's quite alright," said Regina, "there's nothing a fifteen-year old girl, one thirteen-year old boy and four twelve year-olds can do to stop us."

"You'd be surprised what a bunch of children can do," Scorpio muttered.

"Speak up, brat!" snapped Dio Brando.

"He was just asking what you plan to do with us," said Rose hastily.

"You six are now our hostages," said Sephiroth, "our safe passage into Hogwarts. There are a few people in there that we have an old score to settle."

"I'm going to take a wild guess," said Cass, "that your beef is with Sora and his friends."

"Right on the dot!" said Regina as she smiled disarmingly, "what a clever mind you have."

"Well naturally," said Cass, "I'm in Ravenclaw. But it really was easy to figure it out. You lot are too strange for this world, even among witches and wizards."

"She's got us there," said Dio Brando, "we are a rather motley crew."

"Do we have to sit here all morning and banter?" Gaston asked in an annoyed tone.

"If you're worried about not getting enough exercise," said Sephiroth, "just smash something."

"That I will," said Gaston. He then walked to a nearby tree and within seconds, reduced it to sawdust.

"Bloody Hell!" exclaimed Jame, Rose and Albus, while Izzy, Scorpio and Cass also looked shocked.

"Feeling better?" Sephiroth asked.

"Yes, but not much," said Gaston.

"I'm starting to feel a bit out of sorts myself," said Lady Tremaine, "my power is also in need of exercising, as well as the emptiness within, it hungers for substance," she then aimed her hand at Rose and shot the torment beam at her.

Rose screamed in agony as she fell to the ground, convulsing uncontrollably as she was forced to experience mental and emotional horrors.

"Rose!" shouted James and Albus as they rushed to their cousin, but the torment beam acted as a barrier, preventing them from touching her.

"What are you doing to her!?" Scorpio demanded.

"Forcing her to delve into the depths of despair," said Lady Tremaine as she smiled with vicious satisfaction, "as we speak, she feels utterly alone, helpless and unloved! I can feel it, the horror and loneliness, the sorrow of her heart, it's like sweet ambrosia!"

"You sick freak!" spat Izzy. "You're all a bunch of freakazoids!"

"Guilty as charged," said Dio Brando as he smiled viciously.

"Just stop it already!" Cass shouted, "we'll do whatever you want!"

"That you shall," said Lady Tremaine as she stopped the torment beam. Rose gasped in shock and relief as her convulsions ceased and closed her eyes. James, Albus, Izzy and Scorpio rushed over to find her completely unconscious.

"She's still breathing," said Izzy, "but, she's so cold."

"It's like the effects of a Dementor attack," said Scorpio, "but…worse than what we've read in DADA class."

"You bastards!" snapped James as he glared at Lady Tremaine and the other villains, "I'll get you for this!"

"You'll hold your tongue, boy," said Lady Tremaine as she aimed her hand at James, "or you shall receive a similar treatment."

"Don't provoke them, James," said Cass, "they have the advantage," she then looked at Regina in the eye, "alright, your friend made her point, we'll cooperate. Now what do you want with us?"

"Straight to the point," said Regina, "I like that. Very well. You and your fellow magic users shall lead us to the castle, where you'll be our hostages that will allow us safe passage inside. Once we've dealt with Sora and his ilk, you lot shall be released and we'll be on our way."

"Alright, we'll be your bargaining chips," said Cass as she put her wand away, "but you should know that Professor McGonagall doesn't like dealing with terrorists."

"We'll worry about your headmistress when we meet her," said Regina.

"You should also know," said Cass, "that I'm responsible for the safety of Albus and the others. You hurt Rose, a friend of mine and a fellow Ravenclaw. We're not the bravest at Hogwarts, but we care deeply for each other."

"You dare threaten us?" Lady Tremaine demanded.

"I'm just saying that you had better keep your end of the bargain," said Cass, "or I'll make you regret it. I may be only a 5th year, but I've been taught by the best and if I'm fated to die by your hands, I swear on the tomb of Albus Dumbledore, I'll make my death one you'll long remember!"

"Well spoken," said Regina. She then beckoned the young magic users towards the castle, "shall we?"

"You shall not!" said a wizard wearing black robes and a mask as he walked towards the group.

"You're that jerk from yesterday!" said Cass, "what the devil do you want?"

"Well, I was going to kidnap you and your friends so I could get into the castle," said the masked wizard, he then pointed an accusing finger at Regina and the other Villains, "but these goobers beat me to the punch!"

"Who are you calling goobers, jerk-face!" snapped Dio Brando.

"You are, canker-brain!" snapped the masked wizard as he reached into his robe pocket and grabbed something that clacked together like stones, "my comrades and I have been planning this operation for months!"

"You mean you were planning to murder our friends!" said Albus.

"It must be done!" said the masked wizard as he pulled his hand out of his pocket, revealing the clacking nose to be coming from two small green stones that he moved about in his palm.

"I don't know what your plans are involving Hogwarts," said Regina, "or whom you have to kill, but it doesn't matter. We are going to destroy the castle, now stand aside."

"What!?" exclaimed the masked wizard in a horrified tone, "you can't do that! You can't destroy Hogwarts!"

"Oh yes we can," said Gaston, "got a problem with that?"

"Damn right I've got a problem with that," said the masked wizard, "my comrades and I have no intention of harming Hogwarts."

"Well, I'm afraid that you're going to have bite the bullet," said Dio Brando, "because Hogwarts is going down!"

"Over my dead body!" snapped the masked wizard. He then pulled his mask up enough to put his fingers between his lips and blew a loud, high pitch whistle.

There were eleven flashes and eleven more masked wizards in black robes appeared. "You," said the first masked wizard to the five Villains, "my comrades and I may have dark, disgusting, appalling work ahead of us, but we won't let anyone destroy Hogwarts!"

"Then I'm afraid we'll all have to agree to disagree," said Sephiroth as he drew Masamune, while Dio Brando and Gaston cracked their knuckles, while Regina and Lady Tremaine also got ready for a fight. At the same time, the dozen masked wizards pulled out their wands.

"Now what do we do?" James whispered as the two groups of baddies glared at each other.

"Now, we pray that I can do an extremely complex spell," said Cass as she carefully pulled out her wand, "and hope that help gets here in time."

* * *

**…The Great Hall…**

Sora and the others were just finishing up breakfast with their friends, which was rather exciting as Aiden narrowly avoided a misfired spell from a 1st year Huffelpuff, when a glowing white light zoomed through the stainglass windows of the front of the hall and landed at the high table in front of Professor McGonagall. The light then solidified into a large, glowing dragonfly, and from that glowing dragonfly came Cass' voice.

"_Professor McGonagall, that masked assassin from yesterday is back and he brought eleven friends with him. Also, there's five very unpleasant baddies whom also want Sora and the others dead. They're holding myself James, Albus, Rose, Izzy and Scorpio hostage, and one of the other baddies did something to Rose, similar to the effect of a Dementor. They're holding us by the edge of the lake. Please…hurry!"_

And with that the dragonfly Patronus vanished.

"My goodness," said a shocked Professor McGonagall.

"Those bastards!" snapped Jessie, "they can't get away with this!"

"They won't!" said Sora. He then looked at Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Malcolm, Roxas and Naminé, "let's go!" with that they all nodded in agreement.

"Count us in as well," said Tara as she and the rest of her friends all nodded in agreement.

"No," said Jessie sternly, "Ms. Underhill can come, but the rest of you underage lot, you're not to take one step outside the castle. I'm serious!"

"But it's Cass, James, Albus and their gang!" said Nathaniel.

"They'd go if any of us were in trouble," said Cordelia.

"Which is why you'll be our backup," said Andrew as he checked his .475. He looked at Ryo, Yasmine, Lancaster, Kylie, Alison and Matthew, "you six will be there to jump in in case we need you. Hopefully we won't but it never hurts to have backup."

"In the meantime," said Jill as she checked the edge on her saber, "we'll be doing our best to show these invaders that we don't like it when our friends are taken hostage, that there will be a reckoning," she then looked at Sara Katzenberg, Yuri Daslovich and Nina Alberez, "won't we?"

"Yes, boss!" said the three Meta Humans.

"Then let's go," said Jill. With that she, Andrew and the other BPRD agents, as well as Neville, Cho, Angelina, Jessie, Tara, Ryo, Yasmine, Lancaster, Kylie, Alison, Matthew, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Malcolm, Roxas and Namine, hurried out of the Great Hall.

**The end of chapter 4.**

_Next chapter finds our heroes getting deeper and deeper into trouble, what else is new? Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!_


	5. Chapter 5: Second Contact

_Last time found our heroes reeling from the surprise attack on them at Hogsmeade. There was a heated debate over what to do next, during which Jill offered to bring in a psychic specialist from The Bureau, one Olivia Kursk. At the same time, Maleficent and Xehanort dispatched Dio Brando, Sephiroth, Regina and Lady Tremaine to Hogwarts to destroy the school and our heroes, but wound up deep in The Forbidden Forest, in the middle of the night no less. The next morning, while the while school was eagerly waiting for an exhibition Quidditch match, the villains emerged from the forest and accosted some of the students whom were having breakfast by the lake. As if things couldn't get worse, the masked wizards from the other day returned in greater numbers. 'Nuff said, on with the show!_

**Chapter 5: Second Contact**

…**The Lake…**

"You outlanders have to understand," said the leader of the masked wizards as his group squared off against Regina, Dio Brando, Lady Tremaine, Sephiroth and Gaston, while Cass, James, Albus, Rose, whom was still catatonic, Izzy and Scorpio, watched from the side. "You are not wanted here!"

"But we are here," said Sephiroth, "so you foolish Earthlings go about your business and let us do ours."

"Or else!" said Gaston as he cracked his knuckles, "I'm anxious to see just what my new powers can do to a human being."

"Wizards aren't human beings!" said one of the masked ones, "not like muggles anyway."

"We are as far from mortals as you can possibly get," said Lady Tremaine.

"We're no small fry either," said another of the masked wizards.

"I'm starting to get tired of this back and forth banter," said Dio Brando. He then glared at the dozen masked wizards, "look, you costumed creeps! My gang and I got here first, so we get to use the brats as hostages!"

"We had been planning this operation longer than you had!" said a third masked wizard, "the younglings are _our _hostages!"

"Uh…if you all don't mind," said Cass, "since you can't agree on who'll be our captors, we'll just go back to school now," she then checked her watch, "I do have a Quidditch match to get ready for."

"You're not going anywhere!" snapped Regina, "you, little witch, and the other little magic users, you just stay right where you are! We'll have this sorted out soon enough."

"Well," said Cass to James, Albus, Izzy and Scorpio, "it was worth a try."

"If my father were here," said Scorpio as he glared irately at both groups of baddies, "he'd make them all sorry they'd even thought of making trouble at Hogwarts."

"I wish your dad was here," said Izzy, "I wish any witch or wizard experienced in fighting the dark arts were here."

"We're not chopped liver," said Albus, "yes, we're still underage, but we're not completely helpless. They haven't disarmed us," he then made sure his wand was at the ready, "we can still do something, anything."

"Well talking isn't going to do us any good," said James, "it's not doing those weirdo aliens much good either. You'd think we can keep them arguing long enough for help to come?"

"I hope so," Cass whispered, "I honestly don't know if I did the charm right. I've been able to cast a corporeal Patronus for a while now, but I've never used mine to send a message. I have no way of knowing if it even made it to the castle."

"We can't give up hope," said Albus, "those maniacs are all after Sora and the others, while those five freaks also want to destroy Hogwarts, we can't let them get away with any of it!"

"The masked ones seem to want to keep Hogwarts intact," said Cass, "while the others just want to go on a rampage."

"They might just destroy each other," said Scorpio, "with just the right provocation.

But before any of the Hogwarts students could try to egg the baddies on, the leader of the masked wizards, whom was wearing a raven mask, his hand still manipulating the two polished stones, spoke up, "this is pointless! We can argue over who has the right to take hostages until the fat lady sings!"

"Don't you make fun of The Fat Lady In the Pink Dress!" snapped James, "sure, she's tone deaf, but she's still alright."

"Except when she's drunk," said Albus.

"Well, nobody's perfect," said James.

"Silence, you whelps!" snapped Lady Tremaine. She then shot her torment beam at James, causing him to cry out in anguish as he fell to the ground, while the emptiness in her heart fed on his mental and emotional agony.

"Stop it!" snapped Cass, "leave him alone!"

"I'm partial to agree," said Sephiroth, "admonishing the hostages is one thing, you're taking this a bit too far."

"If you keep this up," said Dio Brando, "we won't have any hostages left."

"Yes, leave them alone," said the raven-masked wizard, "for now."

"Oh, very well," said Lady Tremaine as she canceled her torment beam, causing James to gasp in relief.

"Are you alright, man?!" Scorpio asked as he, Izzy and Albus rushed to his side. James was left cold, pale and sweating from fear. Yet he was still conscious.

"I used to scoff at Professor Elmsworth's lectures on Dementors," said James in a shaky voice that was barely above a whisper, "at all the stories I heard about Dad and Professor Lupin. I guess I finally learned my lesson."

"You bitch!" snapped Cass at Lady Tremaine, "you foul, loathsome, heartless cowardly bitch! What do you want from us!?"

"Haven't you been paying attention, child?" Lady Tremaine asked, "you are to be our hostages."

"You shall allow us access to Hogwarts," said Regina, "where we shall destroy Sora and his fellow Keyblade Wielders!"

"You people are after the Keyblade Wielders?" one of the masked wizards asked, "So are we!"

"Don't you dare!" snapped the raven-masked wizard, "don't you tell them anything!"

"Oh, so you're after the brats too," said Dio Brando as he smiled viciously, "now things are getting interesting."

"I hate to see what's boring to you," said Gaston.

"You'd be surprised," said Dio Brando.

"I believe we can come to an understanding then," said Sephiroth as he sheathed Masamune, "We both wish to destroy the Keyblade Wielders."

"For different reasons, no doubt," said the raven-masked wizard.

"Indeed," said Sephiroth, "but we can still agree to cooperate."

"Yes, cooperate," said Regina, "it would benefit us both to combine our forces."

"And destroy Sora and his friends," said the raven-masked wizard as he put his polished stones back into his pocket, "yes, yes, we can work together."

"Bad idea," said one of the masked wizards, whose mask was that of a rhino, "these aliens would never agree to work with us if they knew our true motives."

"Nor would we agree to an alliance if the shoe was on the other foot," said another masked wizard, whose mask was that of a bear.

"Which is why none of us are going to talk about or respective ideologies," said the raven-masked wizard. He then looked at Regina and the other Villains, "aren't we?"

"If that is what it takes to destroy our common enemies," said Regina, "then so be it."

"But what about Hogwarts?" a fourth masked wizard, one with a shark-like mask, "you aliens want to destroy it!"

"We don't!" said the bear-masked wizard.

"Well we do," said Gaston, "got a problem with that?"

"Just cool your head, my friend," said Regina, "there's no reason for us to resort to violence," she looked at the raven-masked wizard, "after all, we are on the same side."

"We shall see," said the raven-masked wizard, "I want an assurance that you aliens won't destroy the castle or harm any other students. Our goal is the eradication of the Keyblade Wielders, nothing more, nothing less."

"Then I give you my word," said Regina, "that no harm shall come to Hogwarts or its denizens, except for Sora and his fellow brats."

"But Maleficent and Xehanort told us to destroy them all, and the castle," said Lady Tremaine.

"Then I'm afraid she'll just have to be disappointed then," said Regina, "won't she." She then whispered to Lady Tremaine, "We can always break our word at a more convent time." She then winked at Gaston, Sephiroth and Dio Brando, whom all nodded in understanding.

"True," whispered Lady Tremaine, "true."

"Speak up!" snapped the raven-masked wizard, "I'm afraid I'm a little hard of hearing."

"I was just conferring with my comrades," said Regina, "we agree to your terms."

"As do my fellows," said the raven-masked wizard, while the other masked wizards nodded in agreement.

"Then where does that leave us?" Cass asked.

"The hostages of two groups, dummy!" snapped Dio Brando as he pulled out a knife, "now, you and your bratty friends should just sit down and be quiet, while the adults here discuss how best to use you."

"Go piss on an electric fence!" snapped Izzy.

"Isobel!" said a shocked Scorpio, "where did you learn that kind of language?"

"I'm Muggle Born, remember?" Izzy asked, "we in the non-magical community are a bit more liberal and colorful with our choice of words."

"Well, you had better keep your words to yourself, young lady," said the raven-masked wizard, "if you know what's good for you."

"Or what?" Izzy asked daringly, "you'll have torture bitch over there hit me with that pain beam?"

"Don't tempt me, child!" snapped Lady Tremaine, "or I'll unleash torments on your mind and heart that you'll never recover from!"

"Don't let her!" said James in a shaky tone, "she's one seriously bad dame!"

"We won't be any good to you if you keep torturing us," said Cass.

"And you won't live on if you keep egging us," said the masked-wizard.

"Unless that is their plan," said Sephiroth.

"They're trying to slow us down so as to buy time for help to come," said Dio Brando, "stupid, really. Brave, but still stupid."

"I say we kill one of them to serve as an example to the rest," said Gaston.

"You do that and I'll rip you apart!" shouted Sora as he, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Malcolm, Roxas and Naminé, all came out from hiding.

"Ah, Sora, how good it is to see you and your companions again," said the raven-masked wizard.

"Yes, it has been a while, Sora," said Sephiroth.

"Not long enough," said Sora irately.

"You jerks!" snapped Kairi at the two groups of baddies, "resorting to taking children hostages. You really are the lowest of low!"

"Believe me, Princess Kairi," said the raven-masked wizard, "my comrades and I take no pleasure in this dirty business."

"How'd you know that I'm a Princess of Heart?" Kairi asked.

"I'm afraid I cannot divulge our sources," said the raven-masked wizard.

"I'm guessing you can't tell us why you want us dead so much either, right?" Aiden asked.

"I'm afraid so," said the raven-masked wizard.

"Well, we know why _they _want us dead," said Tess as she glared at Regina and her group.

"You know us well," said Regina, "but not as well as you may think."

"Permit me the honor of introducing our new comrades," said Dio Brando, "first, is Gaston, and old acquaintance of Belle."

"Oh, Belle and I are more than old friends," said Gaston as he grinned viciously, "we go way back. She almost married me."

"In a pig's eye she would have!" snapped Kairi, "I know you, you're that obnoxious, egotistic, ignorant, chauvinistic slime ball who tried to kill Beast!"

"And I would have if Belle hadn't ruined everything!" snapped Gaston, "I was prepared to give her everything! A home, a stable income, a fire in the hearth and abundant food in the kitchen. I would have been the father of her children, I would have provided for her! And all I asked in return was that she be mine. Instead she chose a monster!"

"You're the monster!" snapped Kairi, "you would have kept her a prisoner in her own home, a slave in the kitchen and in your bed! You would have deprived her of her reading. And don't even think that you loved her! A narcissistic bastard like you only loves yourself!"

"You little bitch!" snapped Gaston as he prepared to fire his destruction beam at Kairi.

"Easy, boy," said Lady Tremaine as she placed a placating hand on Gaston's shoulder, causing him to calm down a bit, "she and the others will be destroyed, but let us not be too hasty."

"And here we have our other new comrade," said Regina, "Lady Tremaine, formerly Cinderella's stepmother."

"You mean wicked stepmother!" said Sora, "I've heard of her too. She made Cinderella a slave in her own home!"

"After she murdered Cinderella's father!" Kairi shouted.

"That's a lie!" snapped Lady Tremaine, "there was never any formal incitement." She then smiled viciously, "but then, if I did kill the man, which I didn't…"

"You mean you'll never admit it!" said Riku.

"Oh for crying out loud!" snapped the raven-masked wizard, "this is no time for banter! The Keyblade Wielders have come to us, saving us the trouble of rooting them out of Hogwarts! We should destroy them here and now, before they learn the secret of The Sign of The Sacred Heart!"

"Sign of The Sacred Heart," said Sephiroth, "this is the first I've ever heard of it."

* * *

…**Castle Oblivion…**

"This is also the first I've heard of it too," said Xehanort, "interesting, very interesting."

"I am just as curious as you are," said Maleficent, "what mystery does this Sign have? And why do these wizards fear it so much that they are willing to commit cold-blooded murder?"

"Find out, Sephiroth," said Xehanort into a communication device, "find out the truth. If this Sign is of any value to us, we shall exploit it without delay."

* * *

…**Hogwarts…The Lake…**

"What is The Sign of The Sacred Heart?" Sephiroth as the masked wizards.

"It's nothing," said the raven-masked wizard, "nothing to you aliens anyway."

"You shouldn't have even mentioned it to them!" said the shark-masked wizard.

"I know, damn it!" snapped the raven-masked wizard as he took out his polished stones and moved them in his hand, "I'm sorry. But it won't matter. Let's just finish what we came here for and it'll be the end of it!"

"Not so fast," said Regina, "you deliberately withheld information to us, information that has agitated our curiosity."

"It's none of your business!" said the raven masked wizard as he tightly gripped the polished stones.

"I say otherwise," said Dio Brando, "and just what is it with those rocks of yours?"

"None of your business!" snapped the raven-masked wizard, "now, are we going to kill the Keyblade Wielders or not?"

"We will," said Sephiroth, "after we learn what The Sign is."

"You want to know what The Sign is?" Cass asked, "is it really that important to you?"

"Tell them nothing!" shouted the raven-masked wizard.

"Or what, you'll kill me?" Cass asked, "or torture us? We'd be sorry hostages if you do."

"Oh, that's right," said Dio Brando as he grinned viciously. He then looked at Sora and the others, "if you don't want anything else to happen to the little witches and wizards, keep those Keyblade of yours out of your hands."

"And keep your hands where we can see them!" said Gaston.

"We'll behave," said Riku as he and the others raised their hands out, "so long as you do."

"Excellent," said Regina. She then looked at Cass, "now, you were saying about The Sign?"

"No, don't do it!" gasped James, "don't give them the satisfaction!"

"They'll take more satisfaction torturing us," said Cass, "I'm sorry I couldn't keep you, your cousin and the others safe. But I can make it up by doing whatever I can to keep us safe from now on." She then glared at Regina, "you want to know what The Sign of the Sacred Heart is? I'll tell you. It's a symbol of a heart inscribed in a circle and decagram with runes around it."

"That's it?" Dio Brando asked.

"That's it," said Cass, "no one knows what the runes mean or what The Sign overall means. All we know is that it has something to do with The Four Founders of Hogwarts, and that the symbol has been part of the original construction of the castle. It's been found all over the place, on the outer walls and within. Wizards have been investigating The Sign for twenty years and have found no answers."

"Well now," said Regina, "all the more reason for us to visit the castle."

"We shall discover the secret to The Sign," said Sephiroth.

"And if we have to destroy Hogwarts in the process," said Gaston as he smiled with vicious eagerness, "all the more reason to do it."

"And inflict some torment on the poor, little witches and wizards of the school," said Lady Tremaine.

"Over my dead body!" snapped Jessie as she, Neville, Cho, Angelina and Tara appeared from their concealed positions.

"Well, this is turning out to be quite the party," said Dio Brando.

"It'll be your wake if you don't get lost!" snapped Tara. She then looked at Cass and the others, "are you alright!?"

"We're fine," said Izzy, while Scorpio, Albus and Cass nodded, "but Rose is completely out of it."

"And James isn't in good shape either!" said Albus.

"Just get me up," James said stubbornly, "I'll tear the creeps a new one!"

"You're in no condition to do anything," said Angelina, "so just stay put, we'll get you all back to the castle."

"No one is going anywhere," said Sephiroth as he placed his hand on the grip of Masamune.

"Now when you all have been so kind as to come out to your dooms," said Regina.

"The only one doomed here is you maniacs!" said Neville.

"We've faced those whom have no regard for innocent life," said Cho, "those whom delight in hurting children, those whom destroy peace, friendship and love. We've faced and destroyed them!"

"Just like we'll destroy you lunatics," said Jessie, "now, get lost!"

"The only way we'll leave is after we finish what we have to do," said the raven-masked wizard.

"Then let's not waste any more time," said Regina. With a wave of her hands, she summoned a large number of Neo Shadows, as well as Invisibles and Dark Balls, while the raven-masked wizard summoned more, all in all completely surrounding Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Malcolm, Roxas, Naminé, Jessie, Cho, Angelina and Neville.

"That's not fair!" shouted Cass.

"Sometimes you have to play dirty to get ahead in the game," said the raven-masked wizard.

"You despicable prick!" snapped Angelina, "what kind of wizard are you to side with such dark things!?"

"The kind that needs to do what needs doing," said the raven-masked wizard, "I'm sorry, Professor Johnson-Weasley, but if killing you and your fellow professors are needed to ensure the deaths of The Keyblade Wielders, then so be it."

"You can kill us," said Neville, "but there'll be others to come to avenge us. Your victory will be bittersweet at best."

"Be as that may," said the raven-masked wizard, "so long as my comrades and I accomplish our task, then we are prepared to accept whatever the consequences."

"Then you're both crazy and stupid!" snapped Cho, "the Ministry of Magic will never allow this to go unpunished. They'd send you to Azkaban for life if it hadn't been abolished."

"They'd feed you to the Dementors if there were any left," said Angelina.

"Or they'd just execute you outright," said Jessie as she glared at the raven-masked wizard, "and believe me, you coward, I'm going to do my very best to tear you apart!"

"You dare call me a coward!" snapped the raven-masked wizard as he gripped his polished stones, "you have no idea what we've had to do to get this far, how we've suffered, how we will suffer, all for the greater good!"

"Greater good?" Sora asked.

"What's this about a greater good!?" Regina demanded.

"I thought you guys were on our side," said Dio Brando.

"I've said enough," said the raven-masked wizard. He then gestured to the assembled Heartless, "destroy them! Destroy them all!"

"I hate this part!" said Malcolm as he and the other Keyblade Wielders defended themselves against the oncoming Neo Shadows, Dark Balls and Invisibles. While they were hacking, slashing and stabbing with Keyblades, the Hogwarts professors were casting spells left and right against the dark creatures.

"Well, you wanted to come with us," said Kairi as she stabbed a Neo Shadow, then swatted a Dark Ball out of the air, then blocked a sword strike from an Invisible.

"And I still have no regrets," said Malcolm as he blasted an Invisible with a Blackout spell, then Poisoned a group of Dark Balls.

"On the other hand, I'm eager to get this over with," said Aiden, "and save our friends!" With that he transmitted a wide area in front of him into corrosive gas, destroying scores of Heartless and opening a path to the baddies, and with them, Cass and the others.

"No!" shouted the raven-masked wizard as he and his comrades pulled out their wands, "don't let him near the hostages!"

"Relax," said Gaston as he cracked his knuckles, "I'll deal with him!" with that he rushed at Aiden. He aimed at punch at Aiden, whom ducked, only to avoid Gaston's destruction beam, the ground just left of Aiden being vaporized.

"You really ought to be careful with that thing," said Aiden, "someone could get hurt!"

"That's the idea!" said Gaston as he fired another destruction beam at Aiden, whom dodged it by only a hair.

"I think I'll take part in this picnic," said Dio Brando as he cracked his knuckles and pulled out a double fistful of knives.

"It'd be my pleasure," said Riku as he activated his armor, "we do have a score to settle."

"Then let's settle accounts," said Dio Brando. He then shouted "THE WORLD!" while at the same time Riku shouted "CLOCK UP!"

The two of them vanished for a fraction of a second, only to reappear several yards away, both of them having dealt massive amounts of damage to each other in their hyper-accelerated battle. Riku's armor was severely dented and scratched, while his visor was broken open, revealing his eyes. At the same time, Dio Brando was suffering from dozens of cuts and scratches, while his left arm was bleeding freely. All in all, it looked as if Riku had taken a far worse beating.

"You may be able to keep up with me," said Dio Brando as he clutched at the cut on his arm, "but I'm still stronger!"

"More or less," said Riku as he used his Keyblade to keep his balance, "but at least you won't be able to hurt anyone for a while!"

"Where as you are about to meet your maker," said Sephiroth as he advanced with Masamune ready for the kill. But then he stopped, "oh no you don't, Sora!" he shouted as he shot a dark fire spell at Sora, whom had been rushing at him from the side, forcing Sora back.

"I had to try," said Sora, "I'm sorry I didn't try harder to finish you when I had the chance."

"It is not for you to decide my fate, boy," said Sephiroth, "our last battle was far too…abbreviated."

"Yeah, we were both handicapped back at The Wildlands," said Sora, "so let's do things for real this time!"

"My pleasure!" said Sephiroth. With that the two of them rushed at each other, their blades meeting in a clash of sparks. They jumped back and charged in again, exchanging offensive and defensive blows. Sephiroth would try to get past Sora, while Sora would defend, then strike back. Neither warrior, light or dark, was willing to give quarter, each of them prepared to see the fight through to the end.

But then Sephirtoh teleported away from Sora, arriving ten paces to his right. Sora stood there glaring at Sephiroth, whom just stood where he was, idly looking at his elongated katana. Not one to take a moment to catch his breath for granted, Sora relaxed a bit.

"Not too shabby, Sora," said Sephirth as he brushed some grass off of Masamune that got torn up during the fight, "you have improved."

"And getting better all the time," said Sora as he grinned at the one-winged angel.

"Smile while you can, Sora," said Sephiroth, "you won't have much to be happy about once Xehanort is done with you."

"I get it that Xehanort wants me to suffer," said Sora, "but what I don't get is why you teamed up with him? What's in it for you? Do you really need Xehanort's help in dealing with Cloud?"

"I will contend with Cloud Strife when I see fit," said Sephiroth, "him and Tifa Longheart. As to why I joined forces with Xehanort, it is because it pleased me to. And before you try, don't even bother making a jape about myself and Xehanort in an intimate relationship. We have a mutual understanding, nothing more."

"You're the one who brought it up, not me," said Sora as he grinned again.

"I shall enjoy wiping that smile off of your face," said Sephiroth as he readied Masamune again.

"You can try," said Sora as he readied his Keyblade.

They rushed at each other again, but then Sora stopped as he was caught in a force field, "what…what is this!?" he asked as he struggled to break out of the force field, bashing his Keyblade against the barrier.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sephiroth asked, "I'm cheating. I want you immobilized for the time being, while you watch your friends suffer and die."

"There's no need to keep him alive," said the raven-masked wizard, "you've caught Sora, now finish him off!"

"Why be so hasty?" Regina asked as she walked over, "our benefactors wish to keep him alive for the time being, while making his friends suffer."

"I don't want the Keyblade Wielders to suffer," said the raven-masked wizard, "I want them to die, plain and simple!"

"You are such a worrywart," said Regina, "relax and enjoy yourself a bit."

"I thought I've made it clear that neither my comrades and I take no enjoyment in the torment of children," said the raven-masked wizard.

"Then leave us alone!" Kairi shouted as she and Tess broke through the throngs of Heartless in an opening that the professors opened with their Patronus charms. The two of them rushed at the villains, only for Regina to blast them with an energy-sapping spell that knocked them to the ground.

"Kairi! Tess!" shouted Sora.

"Oh how precious," said Regina as she walked over to the two immobilized Keyblade Wielders, "two of the ones that Sora cares the most about," she then looked at Sora, "Xehanort said that he wants you to suffer, while Maleficent concurs. What better way to suffer than to make your friends suffer." She then called out her briefcase and opened it, reaching her hand into the case deeper than the dimensions of the object displayed. She then pulled out a glass jar that contained dozens of large, gold wasps that lazily flew around in their container.

"Never seen these before, have you, Sora?" Regina asked as she placed the jar on the ground and unscrewed the lid. The wasps were in such a stupor that they allowed Regina to reach into the jar, carefully grasped one and pull it out, "this is a very special insect; Tracker Jackers, I believe they're called on the world on which they were genetically engendered."

"How'd you get those abominable muttations!?" exclaimed Malcolm in a horrified and outraged tone.

"You know about those wasps?" Roxas asked.

"Several worlds in The Magical Dimension experimented in genetically engendered weapons, muttations," said Malcolm, "the worst of including a species of wasp very similar to those Tracker Jackers. But they were all wiped out in my universe."

"I managed to salvage these few specimens," said Regina, "and a few more that I have in 'cold storage.'"

"What are you going to do with that?" Sora asked nervously.

"Do?" Regina asked as she walked over to Kairi, "I'm going to torture your beloved Kairi to death, that's what I'm going to do," she then placed the Tracker Jacker on Kairi's shoulder and stepped back. Kairi, while unable to move, was still fully conscious and watched with horrified eyes as the gold wasp lazily walked across her torso.

"I have them under a calming spell," said Regina, "otherwise they'd attack us all. But since this one is in such proximity to Kairi, it'll attack her before it decides to go after anyone else." She then cast a spell.

The Tracker Jacker woke up from its magical stupor, moving about with more aggressive intentions and speed, eventually crawling onto Kairi's forearm and without warning, stung her halfway between her wrist and elbow. Kairi cried out in pain as a plum-sized welt rose up from where the bug stung her.

"The venom of the Tracker Jacker is extraordinarily painful," said Regina, "producing large swelling welts that could reach the size of oranges if the stinger isn't removed," she smiled viciously, "but I think I'll leave it in, just to see what happens."

"Kairi!" shouted Tess as she tied to get back up, "don't give in! Don't let the frakers have the satisfaction of hearing you scream!"

"Too late!" screamed Kairi, "it hurts! Oh, god, I never knew anything could hurt so much!" by now the swelling had ballooned up to the size of an orange.

"One sting isn't fatal," said Regina as she pulled out another Tracker Jacker, "usually. But I wonder just how many can young Kairi endure before the venom destroys her heart? That is, unless she isn't driven completely out of her mind first."

"What?!" Sora exclaimed.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Regina as she smiled viciously, "I should have told you. Tracker Jacker venom produces rather vivid, bizarre and often mind-destroying hallucinations. The more stings she receives, the more she will suffer in mind and body," she then looked at Tess, "oh, don't worry, there's plenty more for you."

"Stop it!" shouted Riku as he tried to get away from Dio Brando, whom was fighting him in real time, but the insane villain refused to let Riku pass.

"I have some for you too, Riku," said Regina, "enough for everyone at Hogwarts!"

"We won't give you the chance to use them!" shouted Neville as he and the other professors, along with Malcolm, Roxas and Naminé, tried to get past the throngs of Heartless, but more and more kept coming.

"There's no need to continue this…this travesty," said the raven-masked wizard in a disgusted tone, "just finish the poor girl off."

"Why?" Regina asked, "I've only used one Tracker Jacker."

"You sick freak!" snapped one of the masked wizards, one wearing a monkey mask, "we didn't come here to torture children!"

"Unlike you sadistic monsters!" snapped another masked wizard, one wearing a horse mask.

"Where as you just wish to kill and be done with it," said Regina in a disapproving tone, "where's the fun in villainy if you can't take your time and enjoy it?"

"There is none if you think that way," said Gaston as he forced Aiden to dodge one destruction beam after another.

"Exactly," said Regina to the masked wizards, "so just sit back and enjoy the show. The Keyblade Wielders shall die, but not until after we're done with them."

"You alien, psychopathic whore!" snapped one of the masked wizards, one wearing a jackal mask. He then aimed his wand at Regina and shouted, "_Advada Kedavra_!"

Green light shot out from his wand at the former evil queen. Regina raised her hand in a nonchalant tone and blocked the killing curse as if swatting away a fly. Regina then retaliated by throwing the Tracker Jacker in her other hand at the jackal-masked wizard.

The gold wasp came out of its stupor just at it hit the wizard, landing on the jackal mask and stung him in the eye. The masked wizard screamed in unparallel agony as he clutched at his face, yet already his eyeball had swelled up. He collapsed to the ground, writing in agony as the venom went directly to his brain. His comrades clustered around him but he was dead within seconds.

"Worthless fool!" snapped Regina, "you made me waste a Tracker Jacker."

"I'll Tracker Jacker you, you sick frak!" snapped the shark-masked wizard.

"No!" said the raven-masked wizard, "we still can end this before…"

"Before what?" Lady Tremaine asked as she kept her hands trained on Cass, Albus, Scorpio, Izzy, Rose and James, "before we uphold our promise to Xehanort and Maleficent? I think not."

"This was never in our bargain!" said the raven-masked wizard.

"I've altered the bargain," said Regina as she took out another Tracker Jacker, "pray I don't alter it further."

"This deal is getting worse all the time," muttered the raven-masked wizard.

"Now," said Regina in a delighted tone as she knelt over Kairi, "where to put this next one? I think a more sensitive spot will do."

"Now I now you're rotten!" said Kairi as she gritted her teeth against the pain, "you've got maggots crawling out of your face!"

"What?" Regina asked, "I…no, I…oh, of course, the hallucinations have begin," she then laughed viciously, "I can only imagine what waking nightmares you'll experience after a second sting!" She then ripped Kairi's shirt to expose her stomach. "yes, this will do quite nicely, and then we'll move on to the more intimate regions of your body."

"No!" shouted Andrew as he came out from nowhere, literarily shimmering into existence, a look of utmost hate and rage on his face, "by God and Heaven above, that is enough!" His sudden appearance had startled everyone, both on the side of light and dark, enough so that everyone, even the throngs of Heartless, had stopped fighting.

Just then Kylie appeared out of nowhere, "what are you doing, Andrew!?" she demanded, "we're not ready yet!"

"I couldn't wait a second longer," said Andrew as he irately walked passed the professors and Tara, Malcolm, Roxas, Naminé and the throngs of Heartless, stopping ten paces from Regina, Kairi, Tess, the raven-masked wizard, Sephiroth and Sora, "I refuse to allow this demented bitch to hurt Kairi any more!"

"Well, look at you," said Dio Brando as he shoved Riku to the ground, "a nobody hoping to make himself into a hero."

"You think I'm worthless?" Andrew asked as he straightened his glasses, "that I'm a waste of human life? A waste of flesh and space?" he then smirked, "I've been called worse; mutant, freakazoid, unstable maniac, I could go on for hours. But I don't react to insults anymore. What I do react to is remorseless, un-empathetic, sadistic, insane monsters like you!"

"Shut up, you specky bastard!" snapped Gaston as he walked away from Aiden, "I'm no monster!"

"Then stop acting like one, you fraking Splicer!" shouted Andrew.

"What?" Gaston asked in a confused tone, "what did you call me?"

"A Splicer," said Andrew, "it's what we in the BPRD call people whom abandon their humanity in favor of artificially altering their DNA. A nicer term would be 'Augment,' but I'm not in a nice mood right now."

"Strange," said Sephiroth, "how did you know that Gaston has had his genetic makeup altered?"

"I'm wondering that myself," said Angelina.

"You witches and wizards have your secrets that you haven't shared with us at The Bureau," said Andrew as he tapped his glasses, "just as we've got our own secrets. I know that Gaston is a Splicer," he then pointed at Lady Tremaine, "so is she. Her DNA was changed in a different manner, but in the eyes of The Bureau, she's a Splicer."

"The way you use that word," said Regina, "you make it sound like you hate people whom undergo genetic alteration."

"I happen to know some Augments whom have used their acquired powers to do great things," said Andrew, "they help people and work to make the world a better, safer, happier place to live in. They're no longer human, but they held onto their humanity. Where as you vicious bastards, you use your powers to hurt people, to spread pain and misery, and you take pleasure in that."

"If there's one thing we know about Andrew," said Cho, "is that he hates people whom take pleasure in inflicting pain on innocent lives."

"Which is why you bastards have three choices," said Andrew, "you can leave now with your lives and bodies intact, you can surrender and face justice, or…"

"Or what?" Lady Tremaine asked as she aimed her hand at Cass, ready to fire her torment beam, while Cass was ready to pull out her wand, though she wasn't sure if she'd be able to cast a spell in time.

Andrew then smiled, "or my lovely wife can run you through."

Just then Jill appeared behind Lady Tremaine with her saber drawn. She grabbed the wicked woman by the shoulder and stabbed her in the back, the tip of the saber exiting her stomach, causing Lady Tremaine to gasp in pain and lose balance.

"No one tortures children on my watch!" snapped Jill in a contemptuous tone as she kicked Lady Tremaine off of her saber, the wicked woman falling to the ground, clutching her freely bleeding stomach.

"Now!" shouted Kylie. With that Matthew, Alison, Nathanial, Yasmine, Lancaster, Ryo and Cordelia, appeared and aimed their wands at Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Malcolm, Roxas, Naminé, Cass, James, Albus, Rose, Izzy and Scorpio and all shouted _"Protego Maximum!"_

Sora and the others found themselves enchased in protective shields. At the same time, Yuri, Nina and Sara rushed in and began demolishing the throngs of Heartless, while the Hogwarts Professors and Tara also helped destroy the dark creatures.

"Let's get one thing straight," said Jill to the villains as she and Cass picked up Rose, while Albus, Scorpio and Izzy helped James get up, "one false move and I'll have your guts for garters!"

"What makes you think you'll get away with this?" Regina asked.

"Yeah, what's stopping us from slaughtering you all right here and now?" Dio Brando asked.

"Because I'm not going to die today," said Jill confidently as she, Cass, Izzy, Scorpio and Albus got James began moving James and Rose over to Sora the Professors and Tara, while Sora, Roxas, Naminé and Malcolm got Kairi away from Regina, while Tess recovered to help Aiden with Riku, "and neither is Andrew."

"And because we're not going to die today," said Andrew, "there's a very good chance that the rest of us are going to make it." By now Yuri, Sara and Nina had finished destroying the summoned Heartless, while Sora and the others were safely away from the villains.

"You're making a terrible mistake, Mr. Carpenter," said the raven-masked wizard as he gripped his polished stones, "those Keyblade Wielders will destroy us all!"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," said Andrew.

"So, you have rescued the hostages and gotten the children out of harms way," said Regina as she clapped her hands in a mocking way, "well done, Meta Human, well done. But it makes little difference. The handful of Heartless that you and your freakish friends destroyed are but a fraction of the numbers we can call upon."

"You may have won the first battle," said Sephiroth, "but the war is far from over."

"Technically this is the second battle," said the rhino-masked wizard.

"Oh shut up," snapped the monkey-masked wizard.

"It doesn't matter,' said Sephiroth, "you've won this time, but the next battle shall be ours!"

"Maybe," said Andrew, "but you'll have other problems to deal with first!" before any of the villains could react, he pulled out his .475 pistol, aimed at the jar full of Tracker Jackers and pulled the trigger. The bullet shattered the glass and the genetically engendered wasps came out of their stupor. With an enraged buzz, they attacked the nearest bipeds, the Villains and masked wizards.

Flaying about in panicked confusion, the baddies ran for the lake in order to get away from the Tracker Jackers, dashing for deep water.

"Everyone, back to Hogwarts!" shouted Jill, "now, before those buggers decide to come after us!" With that our heroes and allies rushed back to the castle. In a few minutes they were safely inside the walls, where Professor McGonagall and the rest of the staff were waiting for them.

"Goodness!" exclaimed McGonagall, "what happened?"

"It's a log story, Headmistress," said Jessie.

"We need Madam Promfrey right now!" said Neville.

"I'm already here," said Madam Pomfrey as she hurried towards our heroes, "now, who's my patients?"

"Rose and James were exposed to a form of dark magic that we've never seen before," said Cho.

"It's like they were attacked by Dementors," said Cass, "that beam made them feel pain and misery of the worst kind, right down to their hearts."

"A little chocolate and they'll be right as rain," said Madam Pomfrey after examining Rose and James, "and a little rest won't hurt," she then moved on to Kairi, "but what manner of insect bit this poor girl?"

"She was stung by an artificial wasp," said Malcolm, "the sting will keep pumping venom into her for several more minutes and it'll only cause her more pain."

"Oh, don't worry about me," said Kairi in a dazed tone, her eyes fully dilated and glazed over, "I'm fine, it doesn't hurt at all."

"She's blocking out the pain," said Madam Pomfrey as she examined the swelled sting, which was now growing to the size of a grapefruit.

"But she's still hallucinating," said Malcolm.

"Get Professor Slughorn out here," said Professor McGonagall to Neville.

"In the meantime," said Madam Pomfrey as she used her wand to summon a small vial of blue liquid, "I can do something about this vicious blemish," she then used her wand to extract the wasp sting. A foul-smelling green puss began dripping out of the swelled welt.

"Ugg!" exclaimed Malcolm as he held his nose, "nasty! And I'm actually familiar with this kind of stuff!"

"Be glad it's only the one sting," said Madam Pomfrey as she poured the blue liquid on the welt. More of the green puss poured out and the swelling began to go down, "it should be gone in a few minutes."

"Just hang on, Kairi," said Sora as he held her hand, "you'll be alright soon."

"Sora?" Kairi asked, "when did you grow two more heads? And why are you so shiny? Why is everything so shiny?"

"It's a side effect of the venom," said Malcolm, "shiny hallucinations."

Just then Professor Slughorn hurried up to the group, "what's the trouble here, now?" he asked.

"We have a young girl whom was stung by a vicious wasp, Horace," said Jessie, "she's blocking the pain of the venom, but she's hallucinating like she's at Woodstock."

"Now that's pushing it," said Jill.

"Can you do anything to help, Professor?" Malcolm asked.

"Please, help her," said Sora.

"I…I'll have to get a sample of the venom first," said Professor Slughorn.

"Take a sample of that," said Aiden as he indicated the green puss.

"And hurry," said Malcolm, "the hallucinations may seem benign now, but they can turn violent and horrifying at any moment."

As if on cue, Kairi began thrashing about, her eyes wide in terror, "no, keep them away! Don't let those things touch me!"

"It's not real, Kairi!" said Sora as he, Riku and Tess held her down, "it's not real!"

"Do something!" snapped Aiden at Professor Slughorn.

Professor Slughorn then pulled out a vile of dark orange liquid, "just hold her still and open her mouth, this will keep her calm."

Naminé hurried over and held Kairi's mouth open while Slughorn poured a few drops onto her tongue. Almost instantly, Kairi relaxed and closed her eyes, breathing slow and evenly.

"She'll be asleep for a while," said Professor Slughorn, "but until I get a better understanding of the venom, I have no way of telling how serious her mind has been affected."

"You mean she could be permanently crazy!?" Sora exclaimed.

"I never said that," said Slughorn.

"But we need to get her to the infirmary," said Madam Pomfrey, "right now."

"She'll be alright," said Jill to Sora as Kairi was taken inside, "I've known Poppy Pomfrey for years. Trust me, Kairi is in good hands."

"And Slughorn's alright too," said Andrew as he holstered his pistol.

"In the meantime," said Jessie, "we'd better get ready."

"For what?" Cass asked, "for those maniacs? Jill just killed one of them and the others are at the mercy of those wasps."

"You're a very bright and talented student, Ms. Stonebreak," said Jessie, "but you didn't pay much attention during the actual situation."

"I did run that female Splicer through," said Jill, "but even as I stabbed her, I could tell that she wouldn't die. Her wound was already healing with dark magic even before she hit the ground."

"As for the others," said Andrew as he began pacing back and forth, his right fingers tapping his palm, "I doubt they'll let a few gen-eng wasps keep them down for long."

"In that case," said Professor McGonagall, "we had indeed better get ready for them!"

* * *

…**The Lake…**

"Those bastard brats!" snapped Dio Brando as he, Regina, Sephiroth, Lady Tremaine, Gaston and the masked wizards, stumbled out of the water, all of them covered in Tracker Jacker stings that were swelling profusely. Regina had the antidote on hand and had already dispersed it among the villains, so they were in no danger of hallucinations, but enough venom was in their systems to make them feel uncomfortable.

Also, two of the masked wizards had been dragged into deeper waters by Grindylows and drowned.

"This is beginning to get on my nerves," said the raven-masked wizard as he wrung out his robes, then moved his polished stones about in his palm, "you!" he snapped at Regina and the other villains, "this is all your fault!"

"My fault?" Regina asked, "how is it my fault?!"

"You should have destroyed Sora and his companions when you had the chance!" said the raven-masked wizard, "it's because of you that not only did we lose our chance to finish off The Keyblade Wielders, we also lost our hostages, we're all suffering from these mutant wasp stings and two more of my comrades are dead!" he then aimed his wand at Regina, while his free hand gripped his polished stones tightly, "and you personally murdered a third! I should end you here and now!" At that his remaining comrades pulled out their wands

"As should I!" said Regina as she aimed her hand at the raven-masked wizard, ready to cast a deadly curse, "you and your weak-minded magicians, you have no right to even be thinking of the dark arts!" At that Dio Brando, Sephiroth, Lady Tremaine and Gaston, all prepared for a fight.

"What my comrades and I think are of no concern to you aliens!" snapped the raven-masked wizard, "but it matters not! We must eliminate the Keyblade Wielders before it is too late!"

"Too late for what?" Lady Tremaine asked as she looked at her toso and was satisfied that the stab wound was fully healed.

"Tell us what you're so hung up about and we can come to a better understanding," said Sephiroth.

"He cannot," said Regina as she smiled wickedly, "our masked friends here, they've all taken a vow of silence. They're forbidden to give out more information in their task than necessary to gain our assistance."

"You've figured that out all by yourself?" the raven-masked wizard asked.

"I've done more than that," said Regina, "I know without a doubt that you lot have taken The Unbreakable Vow!"

At that the masked wizards all muttered among each other in an unsettled manner, while the raven-masked wizard gripped his polished stones so tight, any tighter and he would end up cutting his hand, "so, now you know." he said in a cold, unremorseful tone.

"What is this Unbreakable Vow?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"It's a vow you cannot break, obviously," said Gaston in an annoyed tone.

"It's far more than that," said Regina, "it's a vow that will kill you if you do break it."

"Which is why this alliance is pointless," said the raven-masked wizard, "neither of us refuse to cooperate. My comrades and I are unable to divulge any further information, while you aliens refuse to take this matter seriously."

"Just how serious is this matter?" Dio Brando asked.

"Serious," said the raven-masked wizard, "if the Keyblade Wielders discover the secret to The Sign of The Sacred Heart, it'll be the end of the world, of the entire universe, of all of time and space itself."

At that Regina gave a disarming smile, "well, we cannot have that, can we?" She then looked at her fellow villains, "it would be horrible if we allow the Keyblade brats to destroy all of time and space, right?" She then gave the others a knowing nod.

Sephiroth and the others got the idea, "of course, we cannot allow such an epic catastrophe to happen."

"We were wrong to question your motives," said Dio Brando, "and for deviating from such an honorable quest."

"From now on, we'll play things your way," said Gaston, while Lady Tremaine nodded in agreement. All of them were already planning on how to betray the masked wizards, when the time was right of course.

"Then there's no time to waste," said the raven-masked wizard, "no doubt by now Headmistress McGonagall would have activated the emergency defensive spells protecting Hogwarts; shield charms strong enough to endure a muggle WMD, enchanted statues and suits of armor ready to fight to the bitter end, not to mention who knows what other kind of protective magics added since the final defeat of Voldemort and The Death Eaters."

"Indeed," said Regina as she picked up her briefcase, "we shall see these defensive magics. We shall see if they measure up to the dark forces at my command."

"And just what foul manner of magics can you call up?" the raven-masked wizard asked.

"Yeah," said Dio Brando, "just what can you do that you've been hiding from all of us?"

"You're about to find out," said Regina.

* * *

…**Hogwarts…**

"The castle has enough protection spells to fend off an army," said an impressed Malcolm, "a really big shield charm, magical booby traps, and a force of warriors." He, Sora, Riku, Aiden, Tess, Roxas and Naminé, were atop the outer wall with Jessie and Neville, while Professor McGonagall and the other teachers, along with all the 6th and 7th year students, were strengthen the shield spell around the castle. Outside the main gates were every single statue and suit of armor from Hogwarts, brought to life to defend the school in this time of need.

"Can anyone see them yet?" Sora asked as they all looked towards the lake.

"No sign of the bastards," said Jessie, "but then, they could have used just about anything to conceal their presence from us. They could already be finding a way inside right now." she then wrote in her notebook.

"What _is _that thing for?" Aiden asked.

"Are you writing a book or something?" Tess asked.

"A book?" Jessie asked, "no, nothing like that. I've been writing down my thoughts since I was nine. This way my mind isn't cluttered with so much stuff all the time."

"Why don't you just remove your memories for storage?" Neville asked, "you could always relive them in a Pensive."

"Remove my memories? So anyone could get their hands on them?" Jessie asked, "I think not!" she then tapped the feathered end of her quill to her forehead, "I prefer to keep my memories right here where they're safe, thank you very much."

Just then there was the sound of a loud explosion from the grounds around the castle wall, then another one, and another one, and another one.

"Those are the booby traps!" said Jessie in a concerned tone, "but…what's setting them off in that way? Those spells are meant to capture and disable, not explode."

Just then Cho and Jill ran up to them, "All the defensive spells are in place, we're as ready as we can be."

"We've also sent word to London," said Jill, "in a manner of minutes, reinforcements from The Bureau and Ministry of Magic will arrive. Not only is Harry Potter coming, but so is Max Kildare."

"If they're coming, then we can't lose," said Sora.

Just then more booby traps exploded. "Good grief! It's started already!" Jill shouted as she drew her saber, "come and get us, you bloody bastards!"

But more booby traps exploded in answer. "What's making them do that!?" Jessie asked irately, "I helped make some of those spells!"

"There!" Cho shouted as she pointed out to the grounds. Sora and the others looked and saw a small mass of dark purple, almost black smoke, streak across the grass and stop. It then exploded the concealed booby trap spell.

"There's more!" shouted Cho as she pointed to several more streaks of dark purple gas.

"You've got good eyes," said an impressed Riku.

"I should," said Cho, "I played Seeker on my House team."

"But what are those things?" Tess asked, "and where did they come from?"

"It's that sorceress," said Jill, "that…Regina, she's doing this!"

Within minutes all of the booby trap-spells were all destroyed.

"There goes our first line of defense," said Jessie.

"And there goes our second line," said Neville as he pointed to several black spots that were appearing on the grass, "those were where I placed some Venomus Tentacula pods, as well as other nasty plants to slow the enemy down. But now that vicious bitch, she's murdered them!"

Just then a massive cloud of dark purple gas shot towards the animated statues and suits of armor. The dark mass shattered the statues and melted the armor, then continued towards the front gates of the school.

The cloud impacted the school shield and tried to force its way in, but the shield held. But then cracks began to form in the shield, cracks that began to grow in length and width.

"This is impossible!" said Cho, "the shield used during The Battle of Hogwarts lasted longer than this!"

"This is alien magic we're dealing with," said Jessie, "but there's no way we're going to just lay down and let it destroy us!"

"Damn right!" said Tara as she ran up to our heroes and allies, she then shouted loud enough for every witch and wizard outside to hear her "Come on, everyone, let's show this alien sorceress bitch what we at Hogwarts are made of!"

With that they all cast additional shield charms to strengthen the shield protecting the school, repairing the cracks and forcing the dark cloud back.

* * *

"Persistent little bastards, aren't they?" Gaston asked as he and the other baddies watched the cloud attack the school.

"Their efforts are in vain," said Regina, "that dark spirit I summoned from the briefcase will continue to grow in strength until it brings the shield down! Then we shall overwhelm them with Heartless!"

"And then learn the secrets of The Sign of The Sacred Heart," said Dio Brando to himself.

"What's that you're saying?" the raven-masked wizard asked.

"Never mind," said Dio Brando. He then looked at Regina, "what else do you got in that briefcase?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," said Regina.

* * *

It wasn't long before Sora and the others realized that the more the witches and wizards strengthen the shield, the more the dark cloud pressed its attack.

It then reared back, focused its gaseous mass into a single point and drove into the shield like a spear, shattering the shield and blasting the gates off of their hinges. Sora and the others ducked from the impact of the attack.

When the dust cleared, they all looked and were horrified to see countless Heartless rushing towards the castle.

"They'll crush us alive," said Cho in a distant tone.

"We can't let them scare us," said Neville in a determined tone, "we've got to hold on until Harry and Max get here!"

"They'll only find ruins and hearts corrupted by darkness," said Riku.

"The hell they will!" said Jill. She then looked up at the roof of the castle, "Olivia!" she shouted, "you're up!"

Sora and the others looked and saw Olivia Kursk on the roof of the castle, sitting in in a meditation posture. She then smiled and closed her eyes, breathing deeply as a massive energy pulse shot out from her heart, a pulse that expanded to form a new shield around the castle.

The shield completely covered Hogwarts out to the outer wall and stabilized, just as the first wave of Heartless reached the castle. The dark creatures were too late to stop as they ran into the shield and were reduced into puffs of smoke.

"How'd you like that, you alien bitch!" shouted Jessie.

* * *

"I don't like it at all!" Regina shouted back. She then summoned another dark cloud spirit out of the briefcase and sent it at Hogwarts. But the creature self destructed when it encountered the shield.

"Well, that was unexpected," said a slightly disturbed Regina.

"How?" Sephiroth asked, "how can they have produced such a powerful shield?"

"What spell are they using?" Dio Brando asked.

"It's not a spell," said the raven-masked wizard, "this is the work of one of the Meta Humans staying at Hogwarts."

"Mutant power," said Regina, "so, if it's a siege they want, it'd be my pleasure to give them one."

* * *

"Yes!" shouted Sora as the dark cloud spirit was destroyed, "they can't get in!"

"Nor can we get out, it seems," said Andrew as he walked up to our heroes and allies, "Jill, Olivia's in her zone."

"Her zone?" Jill asked in a shocked tone, "oh frak! Now we're really in trouble."

"What are you talking about?" Sora asked.

"Olivia's power is incredible," said Jill, "but risky. When she first came to The Bureau, every time she projected her shield, her mind retreated within herself and it was days before she became conscious of the world again. She's had a lot of therapy since, but…she's never made a shield this big before. I should have anticipated that she would relapse and get lost in her own world again."

"And you brought that kind of disturbed person to Hogwarts?!" Jessie demanded.

"I thought she was okay in the head," said Jill, "I didn't know she'd go crazy again."

"Blaming anyone won't help," said Andrew, "we've got bigger problems than that."

"How big?" Neville asked.

"Olivia's shield is strong enough to keep the enemy out," said Andrew, "but the reverse applies to us."

"The enemy can't get in," said Jill in a grave tone, "but we can't get out. And until Olivia comes out of her zone, we're trapped in Hogwarts."

Sora and the others were stunned as these words sunk in. After a few moments, Tara broke the silence.

"Well," she said in a calm but remorseful tone, "I guess the match is canceled after all."

**The end of chapter 5.**

_Next chapter finds our heroes dealing with being trapped at Hogwarts, while outside, reinforcements arrive but can't get in. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!_


	6. Chapter 6: The Siege of Hogwarts

Last time found our heroes rushing to rescue Cass, James, Albus, Rose, Izzy and Scorpio, all of whom had been taken hostage by both the masked wizards and Regina's group of villains. The two cabals of baddies argued over who was in the right, eventually resulting in them forming an alliance against our heroes and Hogwarts. In the heated battle that followed, Sora was helpless to stop Regina from torturing Kairi. Stung by a Tracker Jacker, Kairi experienced excruciating pain and reality shattering halucinations. Andrew burst in to shake up the baddies, allowing our heroes and allies to escape back to Hogwarts. Outraged, Regina unleashed a torrent of evil to shatter the defenses of Hogwarts. Only the timely deployment of Olivia Kursk prevented the castle from being overwhelmed by Heartless. But just when our heroes thought they were out of the frying pan, they found themselves in the fire. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 6: The Siege of Hogwarts**

"Just what do you mean we're trapped in Hogwarts?!" Aiden demanded, "why can't we get out?!"

"I already told you," said Jill, "Olivia's shield is impenetrable. Only air and light can pass through. No other energy or matter can pass."

"We get that," said Riku, "but why can't Olivia remove the shield around Hogwarts?"

"She's retreated into her inner mind," said Andrew, "she's completely unresponsive to the outside world. It could be days before she comes out of her fugue, her zone."

"In the meantime, the enemy is strengthen their position," said Jessie as she looked out towards the grounds around the castle. She could see that Regina had set up a black and purple pavilion where she and the other villains and the masked wizards were holding a council of war. Around the pavilion was a steadily growing horde of a seemingly solid mass of Heartless.

"The bastards can plan whatever they want and we can't do anything to stop them," said Jill as she looked at the pavilion.

"While our friends can't come in to help us," said Andrew, "Max and Harry are probably at the arrival point at Hogsmeade."

"Oh god!" exclaimed Neville, "Hannah! She's still at The Three Broomsticks! I didn't warn her!"

"Just calm down, Neville," said Jessie, "Harry and the others will look after your wife."

"My wife can look after herself," said Neville, "it's what she and the others will do. It's only a matter of time before the whole DA hears that Hogwarts has been attacked and we're all trapped in here. It'll take everything Harry, Ron and Hermione have to calm down everyone else."

"Let's not forget the rest of The Ramblers," said Jill, "not to mention the entire BPRD and the other wizard allies. They're going to try to break through and rescue us."

"That's suicide!" said Tess, "more and more Heartless are coming! If they try to fight their way through, they'll be eaten alive!"

"Do you really think so little of us?" Jill asked, "of The Ramblers?"

"We've been fighting the forces of darkness for two solid decades," said Andrew, "we've seen comrades come and go; some die, some are crippled, some go horribly insane, others just say they've had enough and walk away. But the essence of the team has always been there."

"We're pretty hard to kill," said Jill, "and then of course, there's Harry Potter, who's a force of nature all by himself."

"Harry's always wanted a quiet life for himself and his loved ones," said Neville, "but I doubt even a revived Voldemort would stop him from coming when he learns that his sons are trapped here."

"And then there's Ron," said Cho as she and Angelina walked up, "no doubt he'll pitch a fit when he learns that his daughter is under siege with us. And I don't even want to know what Ginny will do."

"She'll probably rip apart anyone who get in her way," said Neville, "and god help us if Molly Weasley hears about this."

"I don't care about that!" said a very nervous Aiden, whom was visibility sweating with fear, "let me out!"

"We can't," said Andrew, "nothing can get in or out until Olivia wakes up."

"Bull crap!" snapped Aiden, "let me out!"

"We've been trying to find a way to shake Olivia out of her fugue ever since we've found her," said Jill, "so far nothing affects her. I'm sorry, but we're just going to have to wait her out."

"I can't do that!" exclaimed Aiden, "let me out!"

"What's gotten into you, Aiden?" Sora asked, "you're freaking out or something."

"I…I guess I'm claustrophobic, or something," said Aiden.

"No you're not!" said Riku, "we've been in confined spaces before."

"We've been in really tight spots and you've never freaked out like this," said Tess.

"We've never been in this kind of situation before," said Aiden, "where we've been trapped with our backs against the wall by not only the enemy and The Heartless, but also a meta human with a power she cannot control! We're trapped with no way out!"

"Oh, shut up!" said Malcolm, "there's always a way out. That's just how things are, there's always a way out."

"There might just be a way out," said Jessie, "Hogwarts has many secret passages in an out of the castle, with seven of them leading to Hogsmeade. Most of them were sealed up or collapsed on their own over the years, but that doesn't mean we can't look for one that's still open."

"Then let's get started," said Riku, "the sooner we find an open passage, the sooner we can get some air."

"We told you that air can get through the shield," said Jill, "there's no danger of suffocation."

"Just relax, Aiden," said Tess, "we'll get through this."

At that Aiden began to calm down, "yeah, we'll get through this."

* * *

**…The Enemy Camp…**

"That shield of theirs is stronger than anything I've ever encountered," said Regina as she stood in front of a table that had several unrolled parchment maps spread out on it, glaring up at Hogwarts, "what in the darkness could be causing it?"

"It's not magic, that's a definite fact," said the raven-masked wizard as he looked also at the protected castle.

"If it's not magic, then what the hell is it?" Dio Brando demanded as he looked at Hogwarts through a pair of binoculars.

"Yes, enlighten us," said Lady Tremaine.

"If you can't figure it out," said the raven-masked wizard as he manipulated the polished stones in his hand, "then there's really not much to be said about you aliens, is there?"

"I do wish you would stop calling us aliens," said Regina in an annoyed tone.

"You are what you are," said the raven-masked wizard.

"We know what we are," said Sephiroth, "regardless, that shield is powered by a Meta Human."

"One of those mutants?" Dio Brando asked.

"Yes," said the raven-masked wizard, "but I cannot for the life of me figure out which one. My comrades and I have extensive intelligence files on The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense and it's Meta Human program. We have files on The Ramblers and nearly all of the affiliated Meta Humans, but which one is controlling that shield? It's not Laura Hurst or Shawn Ohmsford, and none of the other espers and Scanners can create such a shield."

"I'll bet that girl on the castle roof has something to do with it," said Dio Brando as he saw Olivia with his binoculars.

"Where?" Regina demanded. She then grabbed the binoculars from Dio Brando and used them to see Olivia, still sitting in her meditative position, while Yuri, Sara and Nina were sitting around her.

"That girl," said the raven-masked wizard as he used a spell to enhance his vision, "I've never seen her before."

"She must be new to The Bureau," said the shark-masked wizard.

"It matters not," said Sephiroth, "if she is a Meta Human, then she must have a physical, mental or emotional weakness that we can exploit."

"All Meta Humans have weaknesses," said the raven-masked wizard, "you just have to dig deep enough to find it." he then looked at the shark-masked wizard, "find out whatever you can on that girl. She's keeping us from our objective. I want her eliminated post haste."

"Consider it done," said the shark-masked wizard.

"The Keyblade Wielders have only delayed the inevitable," said the raven-masked wizard as he gripped his polished stones, "in the end, they will die, and so will anyone who protects them."

"What is with those rocks of yours?" Gaston asked.

"They keep me calm," said the raven-masked wizard through gritted teeth, "and before you even try it, don't."

"Don't what?" Gaston asked.

"Don't touch my calming stones," said the masked wizard, "you were going to try and steal them just to piss me off. Try it and I'll blast you to pieces!"

"I'd like to see you try," said Gaston, "and how did you know I wanted to borrow your rocks?"

"He never said anything about it," said Lady Tremaine.

"But he was thinking it," said the raven-masked wizard.

"You're psychic!" Dio Brando said in an accusing tone.

"He knows Legilimency," said Regina, "he can delve into other peoples minds and learn their thoughts."

"Where as you know Occlumency," said the raven-masked wizard, "you can block me."

"I prefer to keep my secrets to myself," said Regina.

Just then one of the masked wizards ran up to the leader and whispered something into his ear. The raven-masked wizard then shouted, "what?! Harry Potter is here!?" At that the other masked wizards looked very nervous.

"He and the rest of Dumbledore's Army just arrived in the village," said the messenger wizard, "as well as several members of The Ramblers, including Max Kildare!"

"The Indestructible Man," said the raven-masked wizard, "I was hoping to avoid having to deal with him. Having Harry Potter here will only make things worse. He of all people would never understand why we need to do what we need to do. As for Max Kildare, well, he's the last person someone affiliated with the dark arts wants to contend with."

"Just who the hell is this Harry Potter and why are you all so scared of him?" Dio Brando asked.

"And who is Max Kildare?" Sephiroth asked.

"Harry Potter is one of the most known, loved and respected wizards alive," said the raven-masked wizard, "while Max Kildare prefers to work in secret, with good reason. He's pretty much impossible to kill."

"Nothing's impossible to kill," said Dio Brando eagerly as he took out a knife and tested its edge.

"Max Kildare is," said the raven-masked wizard, "and don't get me started on the rest of the Meta Humans employed by The Bureau. You saw how…difficult Jill Sparrow and her husband were. Well, the rest are damn near insufferable."

"And now they're here with many more," said the shark-masked wizard. He then looked at his leader, "we should leave now, now before it's too late."

"And let the world end?" the raven-masked wizard asked, "no, we can't quit now. We've just got to hold off the Aurors and Ramblers long enough to get inside Hogwarts and destroy The Keyblade Wielders."

"Easier said than done," said Gaston, "we can't get into that shield."

"No shield is perfect," said Regina, "there's always a weakness. We just need to exploit it," she then looked at the masked wizard, "in the meantime, you can all relax. I've taken measures to prevent anyone from breaking the siege, no matter what powers they might have."

Just then they heard a small explosion that originated about halfway between the castle and the village.

"See?" Regina asked, "our position is secured."

"You'll forgive me for remaining on guard," said the raven-masked wizard.

* * *

**…Hogsmeade…a few minutes ago…**

The village was a fury of activity as dozens of Aurors and Ministry of Magic officials hurried about, trying to figure out what was going on. Also there were several agents and Meta Human operatives from The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. Not only were they trying to get a grip on the situation, they were also trying to keep order among the many civilian witches and wizards, all of whom were parents of students at Hogwarts, whom had arrived at Hogsmeade when word leaked out that the castle had been cut off from the rest of the world. The parents were waiting anxiously for any word of the fate of their children. They weren't panicking now, but more and more parents, elder siblings and other relatives were arriving by the moment. It was only a matter of time before the tension reached its breaking point.

Inside the tavern known as The Three Broomsticks, a makeshift headquarters had been set up by the wizards from The Ministry of Magic and the agents of The Bureau. Dozens of agents and Aurors and mid-level Ministry officials were bustling around the main area of the tavern, going over papers and passing on messages, while in the middle of the room, around a table with a 3D image of Hogwarts and the surrounding environment, stood Harry Potter and Max Kildare.

"I can't believe that Jill was that stupid to bring in Olivia," said Max irately as he pointed to the miniature shield around the image of the castle, "Olivia Kursk is too new, too untested, too immature for a field mission."

"I'm sure she thought it was for the best," said Harry, "but I agree, she should have brought in an esper who didn't have such a major problem."

"You of all people know that most Meta Humans have problems that hold them back, Harry," said Dr. Aaron Spartan as he also went over the table map, "Jill…she must have been pretty pissed over that stunt Andrew pulled."

"You'd think Andrew would be man enough by now to tell his wife that he needed a little space instead of running away," said Max, "and now they're stuck together inside Olivia's psyonic cage. She shouldn't have been taken out of The Bureau until she learned to better control her power! Why didn't she ask Laura or Emery or Shawn to come? They would have if Jill asked them."

"Laura's in too deep to withdraw from her mission," said one of the Bureau agents, "and it would be days before transpiration for Emery could have been arranged."

"We could have arranged a Portkey for him," said John Baxter, an Auror from the American Magic Administration. John was tall with short, slightly graying hair, dark blue eyes and wore blue and green robes. One of his eyes was moving around as if on its free will, darting around in all directions. This was the magical eye that originally belonged to Mad-Eye Moody.

With John Baxter was witch with long blond hair, hazel eyes and wearing yellow and blue robes. This was Rebecca Covington, whom along with being an Auror, and John's partner, she also possessed a Meta Human ability; an empathic sense for past events. Harry and Max had known John and Rebecca for many years and had worked with them on several missions in which the safety of the world was put to question.

"Shawn's not fond of magical travel," said Andrew, "both he and Violet prefer to move about like mortals."

"And such lovely young muggles they are," said Rebecca. "when's the wedding?"

"They just found out that they're going to be parents," said Aaron, "give them a chance to seriously think things out. But I have to agree, they make a great couple."

"Do you think Andrew knows he's going to be a grandfather at age 36?" John asked.

"He's probably punched a hole in the wall," said Max.

"And broken every bone in his hand," said Aaron, "no offense to Madam Pomfrey, but Andrew's my patient; the sooner I see him, the better."

"Let's just focus on getting to him first," said Harry, "and to everyone else trapped in Hogwarts," he then looked at the 3D map of the castle, "there's just got to be a way inside. Have all the secret passages been checked?"

"All the ones we know about," said Max, "are you sure that map of yours is accurate?"

"My father helped make this map," said Harry as he pulled out a heavily folded piece of parchment placed it on the table. He then took out his wand and tapped the parchment, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said.

Ink lines appeared on the parchment with the words on top in green, curly script…

_**Messers. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs**_

_**Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers**_

_**Are proud to present**_

_**The Maurders Map**__**.**_

"Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black and James Potter Sr.," said Aaron.

"They learned every inch of Hogwarts while they were there," said Harry, "they made the map so it would update itself when a change was made to the castle." He then opened the map, revealing every level of Hogwarts, ever corridor, every classroom and dorm, every teacher, student and guest.

"Your sons are safe, Harry," said Max as he and the others saw that young James and Albus were in the Gryffindor common room with their fellow Gryffindors, while the rest of the students, minus those of age, were all in their common rooms.

"Nice to know that Sora and his friends have made new friends," said Aaron, "though I'm concerned that Kairi's in the hospital. What happened to her?"

"We'll ask when we find a way inside," said Harry as he looked at the map, "I've gone over every secret passage and all of them are blocked one way or another."

"Keep trying, Harry," said Max, "you know more about this map than anyone."

Just then there was a commotion at the front door of the tavern. "Hermione and Ron just got here," said one of the Aurors.

"Ron! Hermione!" said Harry as his two best friends in the entire world, and two of his in-laws, walked up to the central table.

"What the bloody hell is going on here, Harry!?" Ron Weasley asked.

"Is Rose alright?" Hermione asked, "and what about Albus and James?"

"They're fine as far as we know," said Harry in a reassuring manner, "we just can't get to them."

"Before you ask," said Max, "it's not my fault that Jill brought in an esper who can't control her power."

"I guess this means you need to reevaluate your screening and psychological process," said Ginny as she walked into the room, an irate expression on her face that warded off all the other Aurors and agents in the room.

"Ginny!" Harry exclaimed as he rushed over to his wife, "where's Lilly?"

"Safe with her grandparents," said Ginny, "now what's this about our sons being trapped?"

"We're working on it," said John, "but the shield that's keeping us from getting to everyone in Hogwarts, it's also keeping them safe from the mass of dark creatures laying siege to the castle."

"It's a good thing our espers can sense major Heartless incursions into the world," said Aaron.

"Just how many Heartless are we talking about?" Ron asked.

"And who's controlling them?" Hermione asked, "maybe we can reason with them."

"If the ones controlling the dark buggers are the same bastards whom tried to murder Sora and his friends yesterday," said Max, "then I doubt they can be convinced to back off."

"There's more," said Aaron, "aside from Heartless, our espers also sensed five very dark, very malicious entities within the dark horde."

"Villains like Maleficent and that maniac, Xehanort," said Harry.

"Worse perhaps," said Aaron.

"Which is why Leon's gone ahead to scout out the enemy," said Max, "with luck, he'll be back soon with word of just what the enemy is up to."

Jus then there was an even louder commotion from outside.

"Now what?" Aaron asked.

"Potter!" someone shouted from outside.

"Oh good grief, not him," said Harry in an exasperated tone.

In came a wizard whom was an exact, older version of Scorpio; same gray eyes, same facial features, same hair, albeit thinning a bit. The wizard was dressed in black and green robes and was stalking towards Harry with a vicious glint in his eyes.

"Potter," said the wizard as he stopped in front of Harry.

"Malfoy," said Harry.

"Tell me, Potter," said the wizard, Draco Malfoy, "what are you doing about rescuing my son?"

"The same thing that I'm doing to save my sons, Malfoy," said Harry, "and everyone else trapped in Hogwarts; everything that I can."

"We're working on it, Mr. Malfoy," said Aaron, "getting upset isn't going to solve the problem."

"Oh, this is more than a problem, _Doctor _Spartan," said Malfoy in a malicious tone, "this is what happens when you allow into Hogwarts not only foreign wizards and…Meta Humans," he put much emphasize on those words, as if he wanted to say something else, something more insulting, "but also aliens from another dimension."

"Those aliens helped save my niece, Malfoy!" said Ron in an irritated tone.

"Who is now married to my godson," said Harry, "and before you say anything else, you should know that I won't stand for you to insult my family and friends. As far as you're concerned, Sora and his companions are family too."

"We fought together against a great evil," said Hermione, "you can't experience such a thing without forming a bond that's as deep as blood relations."

"So watch your words, Malfoy," said Ron, "we're not in school anymore, so you can't get away with putting everyone down."

"As if I need you to remind me that we're no longer children, Weasley," said Malfoy dryly. He then looked at Hermione, Harry and Ginny, "you all can take this to heart, that the less I have to do with you lot and your extended family, the better. I am here only to help my son."

"We will save your son," said Max, "just as we'll save everyone at Hogwarts. You have my word."

"I'll just have to trust you, then," said Malfoy dryly.

"You should do that," one of the Bureau agents said as he and several more irately glared at Malfoy, "the word of Max Kildare is his bond!" at that his fellow agents nodded in agreement.

"I wish they won't do that," Max muttered, "the last thing I need is have a cult following."

"Well, you are indestructible, mate," said Ron.

"Yeah, but I'm not a demigod," said Max. "You remember Shannon Revek? Her followers worshiped her as if she were The Second Coming."

"You don't have to remind us about Shannon Revek," said Harry.

Just then there came the sound of an explosion.

"Now what?" Ron asked in an exasperated tone.

A moment later a low-level BPRD agent ran into the tavern, "it's Leon!" he shouted.

"Oh damn it!" Aaron shouted as he rushed to the far wall of the tavern where his black medical bag waited, "time to go to work!" He then ran outside. Harry and the others followed him.

The main street of the village, which only moments ago were swamped with Aurors, Ministry officials, BPRD personal and worried parents, had been cleared as three more Bureau agents carried Leon Smyth-Falcon towards The Three Broomsticks. The hyper-fast Meta Human from New Orleans was severely burned all over, while his left leg was bleeding heavily.

"Damn it to high heaven, Leon!" exclaimed Aaron as he rushed over, "what the hell did you do to yourself this time?!"

"It's not like I planned it, doc," said Leon Smyth-Falcon through gritted teeth. He then saw Max, Harry and the others, "but I did screw up. I'm sorry, everyone."

"Just tell me what happened," said Max.

"And try not to bleed to death before I can save you," said Aaron as he opened his bag and pulled out several pieces of advanced medical equipment. "You Ramblers still have that gypsy blessing that prevents those will evil intent from breaking your bond and letting you know when you're going to die, but not even gypsies are perfect."

"You don't have to tell me twice," said Leon as Aaron began healing his lacerated leg, "anyway, Max, Harry. I was scouting the enemy position, trying to figure out just what kind of nasties we're dealing with, their powers and such, as well as how many Heartless are already here.

"I hid myself pretty well, they never even knew that I got close enough to their camp to take a few pictures," he then pulled out a Mobile, "their names and my best estimates on their powers are all there. But on my way out, I failed to noticed a concealed booby trap, an invisible bear trap to be exact. I managed to get my leg free of it, but then the fraking thing exploded. I barely outran the blast."

"He ran halfway back to the village, then crawled part way before we found him," said one of the Bureau agents.

"I always said that sooner or later, those fancy feet of yours would lose their magic touch," said Aaron as he closed up Leon's leg then began treating his burns.

"Well, we all have bad days," said Leon.

"You did your best, old friend," said Max, "now take it easy for a while."

"Are you kidding?" Leon asked, "those baddies are vicious! One of them has a sword taller than I am! And another is crazy about spreading pain and misery!"

"We'll read your report later," said Max, "now rest up, that's an order."

"With all due respect, Max," said Leon as he tried to get up, only to have Aaron push him back down, "but this is hardly the time to rest up! Jill and Andrew need us!" He then tried to get back up again but Aaron kept pushing him back down.

"I know they need us!" said Max irately, "I know that this could be it for them, the day they die! But the last thing any of us need is for you to hurt yourself and end up crippling your leg! Now rest!"

"No!" said Leon as he pushed Aaron away and managed to get to his feet, keeping his weight on his uninjured leg, "I'm not abandoning Jill and Andrew!"

"That does it!" snapped Aaron. He then pulled out a jet injector that was already loaded and gave Leon a dose of anesthetic.

"You're a right bastard, doc," said Leon as he began to lose consciousness. A few agents caught him before he completely passed out and fell to the ground.

"You can hate me all you want," said Aaron, "but that won't stop me from doing my job." He then looked at Max, "you want him chained up until he can be formerly charged with insubordination?"

"No," said Max, "just make sure that he can't hurt himself. He's just upset, so am I."

"Your friends don't seem that reliable, Potter," said Malfoy.

"They're some of the greatest people I know," said Harry, "and if you ever got the chance to know them, Malfoy, you'd know them to be some of the bravest, most reliable, most selfless people in the world."

"They're just upset that two of their own are cut off from them," said Hermione, "and I can only imagine how upset Jill and Andrew are upset about being cut off from Max and Leon."

* * *

**…Hogwarts…**

"By now Max and Leon are probably crawling up the walls," said Andrew as he and Jill met up with The Keyblade Wielders, Jessie and Neville in The Great Hall.

"They're worried about us," said Jill, "the four of us, we are the last of The Original Eight."

"Who?" Sora asked.

"The Original Eight," said Jessie, "the first lineup of The Ramblers whom saved the world on December 31, 1999."

"Long story short," said Andrew, "half the original team is dead, while the rest are getting old."

"Oh, we're not _that _old," said Jill as she gave her husband a reassuring smile.

"I feel old!" said Andrew, "our adopted daughter is going to have a baby. I'm going to be a grandfather; a grandfather at 36!"

"Well, I'm a year older than you," said Jill in an annoyed tone, "do you think I'm happy about being a grandmother at 37?"

"Well maybe if you had a better talk with Violet, we wouldn't be in this mess!" said Andrew.

"I did talk to Violet about the birds and the bees!" said Jill, "and Shawn's parents gave him the talk."

"Don't even bring that randy bastard up!" snapped Andrew as he furiously tapped his fingers to his palm, "I've got enough to be stressed out as it is."

"So do I!" snapped Jill as she also tapped her fingers to her palm. The two of them glared at each other irately, but then they wound up embracing and kissing passionately.

"God, I love you!" said Andrew.

"The feeling's mutual," said Jill.

"Oi! We're under siege here!" said Jessie, "there's a time and a place for everything!"

"If you need to step out and be alone," said Riku, "we'll understand." At that Sora and the others nodded in agreement.

"No, it's alright," said Jill as she and Andrew extracted themselves from each other, "nothing that can't wait."

"Without a doubt," said Andrew, "so, were do we stand on finding a way out?"

"None of the secret passageways are open," said Neville, "the ones that weren't already blocked, are now blocked by Olivia's shield."

"Is there _any _chance she can be woken out of her trance?" Tess asked.

"Yuri and the others are still with her," said Jill, "but they can't even touch her. Aside from the big shield, she's projecting a smaller shield around herself that's just as strong as the first. Nothing can get within three feet of her."

"You're telling us this now!?" Aiden exclaimed.

"We didn't know she could make two shields at the same time!" said Andrew, "she's never been like this before," he then paused in thought, "then again, she's only been with The Bureau for a short time, so there's no telling what else she can do."

"There's got to be a way to snap her back to reality," said Sora, "she can't stay like that forever, can she?"

"She's got to eat or sleep sometime," said Riku.

"But how long can we wait?" Malcolm asked, "and how long will the enemy wait until they try something to get in?"

"Maybe we should wait," said Cho as she, Angelina, Professor McGonagall and the rest of the staff entered the room, along with Tara and the other prefects, "I mean, we're safe enough inside the castle, the enemy cannot get in."

"While all our friends, loved ones and collogues outside are doing their best to try to get to us and break the siege," said Angelina, "they're doing their part, so should we."

"Which is ensuring the safety of Hogwarts and its students," said Professor McGonagall.

"I agree, Minerva," said Jill, "wholeheartedly. But that's still no reason why we shouldn't try to explore every possibility."

"I just realized that there may be one person whom can snap Olivia out of her funk," said Andrew, "Ashley, she knows more about psychiatry than anyone else in The Bureau."

"She's a _parapsychologist_," said Jill in an admonishing tone, "but you have a point. If anyone can break through to Olivia, it's Ashley."

"There's just one problem with that," said Riku, "Ashley went off to try and solve the mystery of The Sign."

"She's doing what now?!" McGonagall exclaimed, "of all the times to solve a riddle, this of all times!"

"She started before the castle was under siege," said Sora.

"Well, she's going to stop and help us," said Jessie, "where is she?"

"I…don't know," said Sora, "she said she was going to get to work on it, she didn't say where."

"We'll, we'd better find her," said Andrew, "and quick."

With that our heroes and allies split into several groups to search for Ashley. The problem was that no one had any idea where Ashley was. Even after asking dozens of students, Sora and the others had no clue where Ashley was.

But then a 4th year Hufflepuff girl told Riku, Tess, Jill and Tara that she thought she saw Ashley near the Arithmancy classroom.

"Thanks," said Tess to the Hufflepuff girl as she hurried off to catch up with her friends.

"Now all we've got to do is find the Arithmancy classroom," said Riku.

"Uh…that might be a problem," said Tara, "I never took Arithmancy, so I don't know where the classroom is."

"But you're Head Girl!" Jill exclaimed, "how can you not know?"

"Hey, there were aspects of Hogwarts that not even Albus Dumbledore knew about," said Tara defensively.

"Yelling at each other isn't going to help us," said Riku.

"You're right," said Jill, "we can only press forward and hope for the best," she then looked around in confusion, "just where are we anyway?"

"We're near the main staircases," said Tara. She then lead the group to where so many of the staircases of Hogwarts liked to change positions. They then ran into a group of 2nd year Slytherins heading for The Great Hall.

"Excuse me," said Jill to the 2nd year Slytherines, "can you tell me where the Arithmancy classroom is?"

The group of 2nd year Slytherins, eight of them, all pointed in different directions, some pointing to the upper levels of the castle, others to the lower levels, while one indicated the current floor.

"Yes, well," said Jill as the 2nd years went on their way, "that's democracy for you."

The group kept looking, moving from one floor to another, from corridor to corridor, yet there was no sign of Ashley.

"This is getting ridiculous," said Tess, "why can't we find her? It's as if she vanished."

"That's not possible," said Jill, "even in this world of wizards and evolved humans, people just don't vanish."

"You'd be surprised what happens at Hogwarts," said Tara. "I'm sure that Ashley simply didn't vanish. She may be somewhere else and will most likely turn up on the other side of the world in a few months."

"That almost happened to Andrew," said Jill, "he doesn't like to talk about it but he was nearly pulled out of this world and into…someplace else."

"Sounds like you've got another story," said Tess.

"It was back in '04," said Jill, "Halloween night. I and a few others were working undercover in a high school in Denver, Colorado. I was posing as a substitute P.E. teacher. Our mission was to observe and evaluate a 15 year old girl whom had the potential to become the most powerful esper alive; Laura Hurst."

"We met her," said Riku, "she's nice."

"You've only seen her on a good day," said Jill, "the last place you want to be is around her when she gets mad or upset. To make a long story short, a demon cult tried to sacrifice Laura. By the time we caught up with her, the cultists had carved demonic symbols onto her skin. We interrupted the ritual, trigging a chain reaction that caused her powers to go out of control. Her rage ripped open a rift in the fabric of reality, a Thinny, and Andrew was nearly dragged into it. Fortunately, Max was there to save Andrew."

"What's on the other side of a Thinny?" Tess asked cautiously.

"A realm of evil," said Ashley as she walked up to the group, her arms heavy with rolls of parchment.

"Where the hell have you been!?" Jill asked irately, "we've been running all over the castle for you!"

"I was in the library," said Ashley, "solving the puzzle of The Sign, it's absolutely fascinating." She then looked at Riku and Tess, "as for Laura, she's had a lot of therapy, while the runes carved into her only appear when she's upset. But other than that, she's alright."

"Never mind that crap!" snapped Jill, "we've got an emergency!"

"Hogwarts is under siege!" said Tara.

"Oh, so that explains why everyone seems so worried," said Ashley, "anyway, I've got to show this to Sora and the others," she held up the parchment rolls.

"You know what The Sign is?" Tara asked.

"I'll explain everything to Sora and the others," said Ashley.

"You've got something else to occupy yourself with," said Jill sternly, "Oliva's activated her shield and went into her zone again."

"Again?" Ashley asked, "I thought she was doing so much better. I'll go see her right away." She then looked at Riku and Tess, "but as soon as I've checked Olivia out, I'm having a major sit down with all of you. I didn't fully solve the puzzle of The Sign, but I believe that I've found an important clue."

"We'll be waiting," said Riku.

* * *

**…The Hospital Wing…**

"Any change?" Sora asked Madam Pomfrey as he, Roxas and Naminé stood at the doorway of the hospital wing.

"She's completely out of pain," said Madam Pomfrey as she lead Sora, Roxas and Naminé over to one of the beds, where Kairi lay with her eyes closed and moving about restlessly, "but I'm afraid she's still hallucinating. Professor Slughorn is still trying to come up with a proper antidote, so all we can do is hope and wait."

"And hope that the venom doesn't leave her with permanent brain damage," said Yasmine as she and Kylie sat beside her.

"Don't say that!" Sora exclaimed, "Kairi's going to be alright! She will!"

Just then Kairi sat bolt upright with her eyes wide open in fear, "BIRDS!" she shouted, "Upside down purple birds of screaming crackers!" she then flopped back onto the bed and closed her eyes, resuming her restless movements.

"She's said worse things," said Kylie as she held Kairi's hand.

"You should have been there when she started speaking in tongues," said Yasmine.

"Aphasia is only a symptom of a greater problem," said J.D. Wallace as he walked into the room, moving to the bed where Kairi lay with the ease of a normal sighted man despite his visual disability, "the venom has already damaged Kairi's mind. But she can be healed."

"How?" Madam Pomfrey asked, "whatever you think you're going to do to my patient, think again!"

"I won't do anything without your blessing, Poppy," said J.D., "and with the blessing of Sora."

"Please," said Sora, "if you can help Kairi, then please do it."

"Without making things worse if you can," said Naminé.

Just then Kairi sat up again and looked around rapidly, "what? No! Wait! We can't stop here! This is bat country!"

"What bats?" Sora asked in a confused tone, momentarily forgetting that Kairi was hallucinating.

"Those bats!" Kairi shouted, "can't you see them! And those manta rays! Shiny bats and manta rays! All swooping, screaming and diving at us!"

"She's gone completely sideways," said Naminé.

"No," said Kairi in a more calmer tone, "I'm perfectly straightforward," she then looked at Sora, "I'm perfectly fine, Sora," she said in a lucid yet unsteady tone, "I'm better than fine," she then got out of bed, gently pushing Yasmine and Kylie away, then walked right up to Sora, "I'm more than fine," she then smiled in a deranged manner, "I finally understand."

"Understand what?" Sora asked nervously, "Kairi, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong, silly!" Kairi exclaimed, "I feel the best I ever have! I understand it all now!"

"What do you understand!?" Roxas demanded.

"Everything!" said Kairi as she smiled almost as wide as The Cheshire Cat, "light, darkness, good, evil, time, space, energy, matter, it all boils down to one unifying thing: Flow!"

"Flow?" Yasmine asked in a confused manner.

"Yes, Flow!" said Kairi in an over eager tone, "it's all about Flow! It Flows up, it Flows down, it Flows side to side and sometimes things stop it from Flowing. It's like you're stuck in a pool, a little pool of stuff, like an eddy of stuff blocking it. That's what it all comes down too! Everything and nothing! Life and Death, it's all about Flow!" She then passed out again, with Sora catching her before she hit the floor.

"Whatever you're going do to, do it quick," said Naminé to J.D as Sora and Roxas carried Kairi back to her bed.

"Yes, do it," said Madam Pomfrey, "we cannot wait for Horace to finish his brewing."

"I'll need everyone to stand back at least five paces," said J.D. as he stood over Kairi, "the fewer minds I have to deal with, the easier it'll be for me to concentrate."

Sora and the others stepped back, allowing J.D. enough free space, "okay, then," said J.D., "I'm going to use my ability to delve into Kairi's mind and heal the damage inflicted by the venom. It will take time, at least an hour, but I have treated similar damage before with success." He then placed both hands on the sides of Kairi's head. A blue healing light passed from his hands into her head.

"All we can do is wait and hope," said Yasmine, while Kylie nodded in agreement.

Just then Aiden ran into the room, "Ashley wants to talk with us! We're all to meet with her in the Great Hall!"

"What do you mean all of us?" Sora asked.

"You, me, the whole Keyblade crew," said Aiden, "and the welcoming committee," he looked at Yasmine and Kylie, "that counts for you two as well."

"What's this all about?" Kylie asked.

"Ashley, she's figured out something about The Sign!" said Aiden. He then looked at J.D., "what the hell is he doing to Kairi!?"

"Trying to save her mind from going completely bananas," said Roxas, "now when are we supposed to meet with Ashley?"

"As soon as she finishes looking at Olivia," said Aiden, "which could be a while."

* * *

…The Great Hall…

As it turned out, our heroes and allies only waited half an hour for Ashley. Sora, Riku, Aiden, Tess, Malcolm, Roxas, Naminé, Tara, Alison, Matthew, Nathanial, Kylie, Yasmine, Cass, Lancaster, Cordelia and Ryo, as well as Jill, Andrew, Neville, Angelina and Cho, all were there as Ashley walked in.

"What's the word on Olivia?" Andrew asked.

"It's pretty serious," said Ashley, "I'm not a psychiatrist, but I can tell you that Olivia has retreated into herself not out of a response of use of her power, but a reaction to an outside negative stimulation.

"When she uses her power to project her shield, then goes into her zone, that's a reaction to use of her power. But now she's put a smaller, albeit powerful, shield around herself. From what I can tell, she put the second shield up after the first one was established."

"After the first shield went up?" Sora asked.

"Most likely after that dark cloud creature slammed into the big shield," said Ashley, "Olivia sensed the evil of that thing and instinctively retreated into herself, while also taking measures to protect herself. She was afraid of that thing, and the evil that conjured it up, and it terrified Olivia to the point that she chose to run away. With fear you can either fight or fly; Olivia chose to fly."

"So she got scared?" Tara asked.

"It could have happened to anyone," said Andrew.

"That's still no excuse for what she did to us!" Aiden snapped, "okay, so she got scared! So how to we make her unafraid again?"

"Take away the source of her fear," said Ashley, "the one whom instigated the attack on Hogwarts."

"Regina and those other villains," said Riku.

"So all we go to do is take them out and Olivia will be alright," said Sora.

"There's just one problem," said Ryo, "we're stuck inside the big shield."

"And Olivia's little shield keeps us from touching her," said Alison, "so, what do we do now?"

"For now, nothing," said Jill, "I'm sorry, but I cannot think of any way out of this."

"Maybe Olivia will come out of her shell on her own," said Roxas.

"And maybe flobberworms will stop being boring," said Cordelia.

"There's still a chance that we can bring Olivia out of her zone," said Ashley, "we can't touch her, but there's still the chance that she can hear us. If we talk to her, if we take turns keeping her company and just talk to her, she may just wake up. And there's the bright side of this; we can't get out, but the enemy can't get in."

"We know that already!" said Aiden.

"There's more," said Ashley as she showed our heroes the rolls of parchment, "I've found an important clue to solving the mystery of The Sign."

"Then don't keep us in suspense!" exclaimed Cho, "what is it?!"

Ashley then unrolled one scroll that showed the drawing of the woodcarving of the four founders and the other people, all standing around the table that hand the image of The Sign while underneath was the Gallic caption: _'…and they gathered under The Sign of The Sacred Heart…'_

"I examined every inch of the drawing," said Ashley, "then I looked at the original drawing in the book it was taken from. At first there was nothing unusual," she then turned the picture upside down, then pulled out a hand mirror, "but once I started looking at it from a different perspective, I began to see things in a new light."

"How'd you think to do that?" Angelina asked.

"Thinking outside the box is what I do best," said Ashley, "now, you don't notice it at first, but when you look at the image when inverted and reversed, you see there are several Gallic words written in tiny script."

"She's right," said an astonished Cho as she looked at the upside-down drawing in the mirror, "all this time and this was right in front of us. We just needed to change how we saw it."

"Well what do the words mean?" Riku asked.

"Nothing," said Ashley, "that is, nothing at first. They're all randomized and scattered across the drawing. You have to arrange them in the right order, as well as remove the junk. Not all the words are part of the solution, so I had to write down all the words and put them together in as many combinations as I could think of."

She then unrolled another scroll and showed our heroes a very long list of crossed out word combinations.

"Only one combination made any sense when translated into English," said Ashley, "'the smaller Signs shall lead to the larger prize.'"

"And that means…?" Cass asked as she made a shrugging gesture.

"That I have no idea of," said Ashley, she then smiled reassuringly, "but that doesn't mean we should give up now."

"It's a start," said Cho as she smiled warmly, "a brilliant start. We finally have a clue."

"It's more than we've had before," said Tara, "but it's just a phrase."

"The smaller Sings shall lead to the bigger prize," said Aiden.

"It's times like this that I wish that Harry, Ron and Hermione were here," said Neville, "they handled mysteries like this all the time back in the day."

"I wish they were here too," said Angelina, "but they're not here. We are, so it's up to all of us to figure this out."

"Smaller Signs," said Tess, "could that mean all the carvings of The Sign that are all over Hogwarts?"

"I…you know," said Ashley, "that might just be possible." She then began pacing back and forth, "there's dozens of carvings scattered throughout the castle interior and exterior." She then went over to the table and unrolled another scroll, then several more, one for each level of the castle and one of the castle wall son the outside.

"The next step is to make a full, 3D map of the castle," said Ashley, "one highlighting all the known locations of The Sign."

"Easily done," said Cho as she took the parchment maps, "I'll have it ready within an hour."

Just then they all heard a low rumbling that came from outside.

"Now what?" Sora asked.

They all ran for the nearest windows and saw that the shield was assaulted by six, dark purple energy beams that originated from the enemy camp.

"Can those beams punch through Olivia's shield?" Riku asked.

"I sincerely hope not," said Jill.

"They don't have to punch through," said Ashley gravely, "just maintain a steady pressure on the shield. Olivia is constantly refreshing the shield with her mental energy, albeit via her instincts. Yet her strength isn't infinite. Sooner or later she'll run out of power and the shield will collapse."

"How long will that take?" Sora asked.

"I…don't know," said Ashley, "could be days, could be mere minutes."

* * *

**…The Enemy Camp…**

"Well, I'd say that this was rather brilliant," said Regina smugly as she eyed the six giant, pulsating masses of purple demon flesh that fired the beams at the shields, "these creatures are capable of sustaining an attack for weeks."

"They have been used in wars on many worlds," said Sephiroth, "specifically as artillery bombardments against shielded targets."

"And they're very efficient living machines," said Regina, "they're basically plants, feeding off of solar energy, water and nitrogen in the soil."

"They look expensive," said Dio Brando, "How'd you get them?"

"I stole them," said Regina, "do you have any complaints?" She then looked at the rest of the villains and masked wizards, "do any of you have complaints?"

"None worth mentioning," said the raven-masked wizard, "so long as the shield goes down and we can accomplish the mission before it's too late."

"Just what is it that Sora and his companions are getting themselves into?" Lady Tremaine asked, "what is it that could destroy the world?"

"The last thing you want to know is what The Sign of The Sacred Heart can unleash," said the raven-masked wizard, "the sooner we take care of this vicious business, the better for everyone."

"Except those Keyblade brats," said Gaston as he restlessly paced back and forth, "how long is this going to take? I want to destroy something!"

"Go destroy the village if you so desire," said Regina idly, "wreck some havoc and fulfill your needs."

"Yeah, I'll do that," said Gaston.

"I'll come as well," said Lady Tremaine, "I'm in the mood to inflict some suffering."

"You can't do that!" exclaimed the raven-masked wizard, "that wasn't part of the agreement!"

"I've altered the agreement again!" snapped Regina, "pray that when I alter it again, it doesn't put you and your companions in a more compromised situation!"

* * *

**…Hogwarts…**

"What in the name of the gods are those things!?" Aiden asked as he and the others saw, via binoculars and telescopes, the six energy cannon-like demons that Regina summoned.

"Whatever they are, they're slowly but surely draining Olivia," said Jill.

"And when the shield goes down," said Andrew, "the enemy can come marching in as they please." He then smiled, "we'd better do something about that."

"Indeed," said Jill, "it all depends on how soon we can figure out how to communicate with our friends."

"And how to do it without the enemy catching on," said Andrew, he then clapped his hands together as inspiration struck, "I know!"

* * *

**…Hogsmeade…**

"Boss!" shouted one of the Bureau agents to Max Kildare, "there's something happening at the castle!"

Max, Aaron, Harry, John, Rebecca, Hermione, Ginny, Ron and Draco Malfoy, all ran outside to the street. A handful of Bureau agents and Aurors had set up a watch post atop the tallest building in the village. Some had their telescopes and other observation equipment trained on the enemy camp, while others were watching the castle.

"There's movement on the Astronomy Tower!" said one of the aurors, "I can see Andrew and Jill!"

"They're alright, thank goodness!" said Hermione, while Max, Harry and Ron sighed with relief.

"Never mind those two lustful freaks!" snapped Draco, "what about my son!?"

"Shut it, Malfoy!" spat Ginny, "our children are fine."

"How do you know, Weasley?!" Draco asked, "oh, forgive me, Potter."

"Trust me, Malfoy," said Ginny, "a mother knows. Albus and James are safe."

"As is Rose," said Hermione, "and though he's not my son, I'm relatively sure that Scorpio is safe too."

"Both of which I'm grateful of," said Draco dryly.

"Wait!" said one of the Bureau agents watching the castle, "what's that Jill and Andrew are doing? I can also see a few others."

"Professors Longbottom and Johnson-Weasley," said the auror at the telescope.

"Neville and Angelina," said Hermione, "I'll tell Hannah and George."

Max then jumped up to the roof as easily as a hopscotch jump. He then looked through the telescope, "Sora, Riku, Aiden and Tess are there too," he said, "and…another one. They've got a new Keyblade Wielder with them. And…who's that?"

"Tara Underhill," said Ginny, whom by now was on the roof, as well as Harry. Both of them were looking through telescopes, while Draco shoved a Bureau agent out of the way so he could look through a telescope too.

"What's that they're doing?" Draco asked, "the lovebirds?"

"They're using telescopes," said Max, "they've seen us!" he then waved franticly at the castle, while up on the Astronomy Tower, Jill and Andrew waved back.

"They've also got signal mirrors," said Harry as he saw Andrew hold up a mirror and began flashing a message.

"What does it mean?" Hermione asked after arriving on the roof and looked through the telescope, "it's not Morris Code, at least I don't think so."

"It is Morris Code," said Max, "but translated into Farsi. A little something we picked up to confuse our enemies in the event of an emergency."

"And you understand Farsi?" Hermione asked.

"It was my idea," said Max, "they're telling us that aside from a lot of nervous students, everyone in Hogwarts is fine and safe."

"Thank goodness," said Harry, "tell them that we're doing everything we can to get them out of there."

Max then pulled out a mirror and signaled back to Jill and Andrew

* * *

**…The Astronomy Tower…**

"That's good to know," said Sora.

"Make sure you tell them about Olivia's condition," said Riku.

"I was about to," said Andrew. He then signaled to Max. A short time later Max signaled back that he got the message.

"They know," said Andrew as he saw a follow-up message, "And boy, is Max upset that Olivia was brought in."

"How mad at me is he?" Jill asked in a slightly sheepish tone

"Let's just say that if we had a dog house," said Andrew, "you'd be in it."

"Well, excuse me for loving indoor pets," said Jill.

"Never mind that!" said Neville, "Andrew, tell Harry and Hermione that we've found a clue to The Sign!"

"They'll definitely want to know," said Angelina.

"I'm doing that next," said Andrew.

* * *

**…The Enemy Camp…**

"They're using some form of code," said Regina as she used a spell to focus on the signaling between Hogwarts and Hogsmeade.

"I've never seen this type of language before," said Sephiroth.

"Don't look at me," said Dio Brando. He and the other villains then looked at the raven-masked wizard.

"I've never seen that code before either," said the raven-masked wizard, "it does seem familiar."

"Regardless," said Regina, "we cannot allow the castle and the village to communicate," she then looked at Lady Tremaine and Gaston, "go! Destroy Hogsmeade!"

"No!" snapped the raven-masked wizard as he and his comrades all drew their wands, "we won't let you do that!"

"I believe this alliance has become obsolete," said Regina.

"About time, I say," said Dio Brando as he cracked his knuckles, while Gaston did the same and Sephiroth drew Masamune

"Go! Now!" shouted the raven-masked wizard. He and several of his comrades Disapparated out, just as Dio Brando shouted "The World!"

He vanished and killed two of the masked wizards before they could Disaparate.

"Damn," said Dio Brando as he wiped his knifes on the robes of the dead wizards, "I hoped I'd be able to get them all."

"You'll have more to play with later," said Regina, she then looked at Lady Tremaine and Gaston, "you have your mission! Now get to it!"

"With pleasure," said Gaston, while Lady Tremaine nodded in acknowledgement.

* * *

**…The Astronomy Tower…**

"Did you see that?!" Aiden exclaimed, "the black-robes are gone!"

"Two of them are dead while the rest got away," said Riku, "what happened between them?"

"I'll bet that's part of it," said Tess as she watched the enemy through her telescope, seeing Gaston and Lady Tremaine leaving the enemy camp. "Two of them are heading for Hogsmeade!"

* * *

**…Hogsmeade…**

"Now what are they saying?" Draco asked.

"Good news, so to speak," said Max as he saw the message from Andrew, "the masked wizards are all gone. Apparently there was dissent among the baddies. Wait…now comes the bad news…two of the Villains are on their way to the village, most likely to destroy us."

"Then we'll be ready for them," said Harry as he pulled out his wand, "these people think they can walk all over us, that they can hurt our friends and loved ones without consequence."

"Then let's prove them wrong," said Max as he pulled out his revolver.

**The end of chapter 6.**

_Next chapter finds Sora and the others helpless as they watch Harry, Max and the others at Hogsmeade battle Gaston and Lady Tremaine. Who will survive? Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!_


	7. Chapter 7: Clash at Hogsmeade

_Last time found our heroes struggling to find the answers to The Sign of the Sacred Heart while Hogwarts was cut off from the outside. Meanwhile at Hogsmeade, Harry and Max, along with several other BPRD agents and Ministry wizards, tried to figure out how to break the castle seige, only to learn that the enemy was coming to them. 'Nuff said, on with the show!_

**Chapter 7: Clash at Hogsmeade**

"Gaston and Tremaine are almost at the village," said Sora as he and the others watched via telescopes atop The Astronomy Tower.

"But what are Max, Harry and the others doing?" Riku asked, "they're just standing there at the edge of town."

"Everyone else in Hogsmeade are doing…something," said Tess, "I can't tell what they're planning."

"If we can't tell what they're up to," said Aiden, "then neither can the enemy."

"If anyone can figure out how to stop those maniacs," said Neville, "it's Harry and Max."

"Don't forget the rest of The D.A." said Angelina.

"And The Bureau," said Jill, "everyone in Hogsmeade is going to do their best to turn this situation around."

"While we're stuck here with nothing to do but watch," said Aiden.

"Bull crap," said Andrew, "I can do something other than watch."

"And not support your friends?" Neville asked.

"I've seen enough of Max and the others in our escapades to see the battle in my imagination," said Andrew.

"And such a vivid imagination he has," said Jill lovingly. She then looked at Sora and the others, "my husband has come up with many ideas in his time, some brilliant, some completely insane," she then whispered to Naminé and Tess, "and come up with a few positions that aren't in the Kama Sutra." At that Naminé and Tess giggled.

"I still have great hearing," said Andrew in an annoyed and slightly embarrassed tone, "despite the rest of me aging." He then headed for the stairs down to the rest of the castle, "what I'm going to do is for the benefit of everyone at Hogwarts."

"What is it?" Sora asked.

"Finish teaching the House Elves in the kitchen about Bar-B-Q," said Andrew, "if we're going to be stuck here, we might as well make the most of what we eat," with that he went downstairs.

"You know, he's got a point," said Aiden, "The last thing we need is to be cooped up with nothing to do but sit and wait." With that he headed for the stairs, "I think I'll join him and learn a few things."

"Whatever you do," said Jill, "don't do anything that'll upset Andrew, such as forgetting to wash your hands regularly. One thing my husband cannot stand is a contaminated kitchen."

"Of course I wash regularly when in the kitchen," said Aiden, "what am I, an ignorant barbarian from a backwards world?" with that he went downstairs.

"He'll be alright," said Sora.

"I'm not doubting Aiden," said Jill, "I'm more worried about Andrew. He doesn't really like sudden changes in his schedule, especially when he's supposed to be on holiday. I'm quite surprised that he's taking this all so calmly."

"He's not the only one who's calm when it'd be easy to overreact," said Riku.

"Look!" shouted Tess, "the two Splicers! Gaston and Tremaine! They've reached the town!"

**…Hogsmeade…**

"What a quaint little village," said Lady Tremaine as she and Gaston reached the limits of the wizarding town, with all of the BPRD agents and Ministry Aurors waiting along the streets, "with such quaint people."

"People ripe for suffering," said Gaston.

Lady Tremaine then frowned with concern, "but why are they all looking at us like this?"

"Like what?" Gaston asked.

"Like we aren't that much of a threat," said Lady Tremaine, "like, we aren't to be feared."

"Then let's give them something to be afraid of," said Gaston. He then eyed The Owl Post Office, "I think I'll start by demolishing that building over there."

Just then Harry stepped out into the street in front of the two villains, "I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that."

"Is that so?" Lady Tremaine asked, "and just who are you to try to stop us?"

"He," said Hermione as she, Ron and Ginny, as well as several other wizards and witches stepped out into the street, "is the last wizard you want angry with you."

"And I'm the last witch you want to upset," said Ginny as she irately crossed her arms.

"That still doesn't answer my question," said Lady Tremaine.

"Just who the hell are you people?" Gaston asked.

"We're Dumbledore's Army, you bleeding idiot!" shouted one of the wizards, Seamus Finnegan.

"If you haven't heard of us," said Dean Thomas, "then you really are aliens."

"Every witch and wizard alive knows of us," said Pavarti Pattill.

"And quite a few Muggles too," said her twin, Padma.

"Namely us," said Max as he stepped out into the street.

"Oh great, more freaks," said Gaston.

Just then Aaron, whom had been waiting in one of the buildings to help any wounded, jumped out and shouted, "you should take a good look at yourself, you thrice-damned Splicer!" he was then pulled back inside by one of the Bureau agents.

"It's our job to keep the world safe from maniacs like you!" said Max. He then pointed an accusing finger at Gaston and Lady Tremaine, "I'll say this once: leave this world now and never return!"

"And if we refuse?" Lady Tremaine asked daringly, "you'll destroy us?"

"We'll do our best to make you leave," said Ron.

"Even at the risk of your own lives?" Lady Tremaine asked as he rubbed her hands in anticipation, sparks of negative magic leaping from her fingers, "I doubt you all are brave enough to face what I have in store for you."

"Or what I've got up my sleeves," said Gaston as he cracked his knuckles, while sparks of destructive magic leaped from his hands.

Draco then walked out into the street, "of course they're brave enough to fight you," he said dryly, "they're mostly Gryffindors, they're born with more guts than brains."

"What are you doing, Malfoy?" Ginny asked.

"Trying to save your miserable lives," said Draco, "and Hogsmeade as well. You can thank me later for saving the village from almost certain destruction."

"We haven't even done anything yet," said Ron.

"And that's how it's going to stay, Weasley," said Draco, "so you all just stand back and allow me to work a little…diplomacy magic."

"Since when were you ever a diplomat, Malfoy?" Justin Finch Fletchly asked.

"And since when have you ever tried something this selfless?" Terry Boot asked.

"Who said I was being selfless?" Draco asked, "I have my own interests in this as well as yours."

"Of course you do," said Hermione in an annoyed and disappointed tone.

"Selfish git," both Ron and Ginny muttered.

"You honestly think you can talk us out of reducing this village to rubble and everyone in it to quivering masses of hopeless jelly?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"I can try," said Draco, "now," he then used his wand to summon a table with one chair on the side nearest to him and two on the other side for the two villains, "do sit down and we can talk like civilized people." He then sat in his chair and placed his hands on the table in a gesture of contemplative openness.

"We don't have to play his game," said Gaston to Lady Tremaine, "let's just blast him and everyone else here!"

"Oh yes, you can destroy me and my fellow witches and wizards," said Draco, "but think of the opportunity you will have discarded."

"What opportunity?" Lady Tremaine asked curiously.

"If you want to find out," said Draco, he then gestured to the two empty chairs, "then by all means, sit down. You have nothing to lose but a few minutes of your time."

"I'm a patient woman," said Lady Tremaine, "and there is nothing to lose by talking," with that she sat down.

"You can't be serious!" said Gaston.

"Oh, sit down and be quiet already!" said Lady Tremaine, "you'd do well to learn to be patient instead of living on instant gratification."

At that Gaston looked like he wanted to rip her head off, but relented and sat down.

"Now," said Draco, "let us negotiate."

* * *

**…The Astronomy Tower…**

"What's Malfoy doing?!" Neville asked as he and the others watched the events in the village, "Why is he talking to those two maniacs?"

"Maybe he's trying to get them to back off," said Sora.

"Or maybe he's trying to earn a profit out of this," said Angelina suspiciously.

"I always figured that Draco Malfoy was a slimy git," said Jill.

Just then Albus, Izzy and a very irate Scorpio, walked out towards our heroes and allies, "that's my father you're talking about!" shouted Scorpio.

"Well, excuse me," said Jill.

"Have you seen my dad?" Albus asked anxiously, "and what about my mum? What about Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron?"

"They're all down there," said Neville, "everyone in the D.A."

"Except for Zacharias Smith and Marietta Edgecomb," said Angelina, "not surprising actually."

"What are they doing down there?" Izzy asked, "are they fighting those lunatics or not?"

"My father, he's buying time," said Scorpio as he looked through one of the telescopes, "for all of us."

"How can you be so sure?" Albus asked.

"He's my father," said Scorpio as he smiled confidently, "trust me, I know."

"So what now?" Albus asked.

"Now I go to work," said Izzy as she looked through one of the telescopes. She then winked at Sora and the others and smiled, "I can read lips, did you know that?"

"I certainly didn't," said Tess.

"When did you learn how to do that?" Aiden asked, "wait, don't answer that. You'll just ask me if I can keep a secret, I'll say yes and then you'll say that you can too."

"Darn it," said Izzy in a mock disappointed tone, "I was hoping to bait you. Anyway, I can read lips," she then looked into the telescope again, "you're right, Scorpio, your father is stalling for time. He's going on and on about the perks of diplomatic relations and understanding between cultures. Those two psychos are looking both bored and angry."

"While everyone else down there is getting into position," said Neville as he looked through his telescope, "I'd give my right eye to be down there with them."

"So would half the staff of Hogwarts," said Angelina, "and a good many students. But we're stuck here so all we can do is hope for the best for our friends down there."

"You don't have to tell me twice," said Neville.

"If anyone can turn this around," said Albus, "if anyone can stop those evil people and save Hogwarts, it's my dad."

"And my father," said Scorpio.

At that Neville and Angelina laughed.

"What's so funny?" Sora asked.

"Harry and Draco, working together," said Angelina.

"They've hated each other since 1991," said Neville, "alright, they don't really hate each other now, but it'll be a cold day in hell before they're ever friends."

"He's up to something," said Jill, "Malfoy, "he's got something else in mind other than saving our sorry behinds."

"He is up to something!" said Izzy as she read Draco's lips, "he's trying to convince the maniacs to talk business…between our world and their bosses. The girl Splicer is actually listening to him."

"A trade agreement with Maleficent and Xehanort?!" Riku asked, "that'll never work!"

"I wouldn't doubt that," said Scorpio, "my family has always been able to turn a profit and earn gold in even the darkest, most hopeless of situations," he looked Albus and Izzy, "what, where did you think my grandfather Lucius got all that gold he kept donating to various charities? The Muggle stock market?"

"So long as none of it is dirty gold," said Neville, "Draco can do whatever he wants, so long as he keeps those villains from destroying the school."

"We can only hope," said Angelina, "and with this being Malfoy, that's asking for a lot."

* * *

**…Hogsmeade…**

"And so, even a blind man can see that by destroying Hogwarts," said Malfoy, "you would also destroy an opportunity for enormous profit."

"Yes, trade between your world and our realm," said Lady Tremaine, "I'll admit, it is an intriguing proposition."

"You've got to be kidding me," said a very bored an irate Gaston, "we came here to inflict some misery and destruction! Not to line your purse with gold!"

"Gold isn't all this world has to offer," said Malfoy, "silver, gems and other precious metals and stones. There's also a whole line of Goblin made items that they'll give you, for the right price of course. There's also an entire world's worth of magical knowledge to share."

"Are you done?!" Gaston asked as he held his head in his hand.

"I'm just getting started," said Draco.

"I've heard enough," said Lady Tremaine, "you've given me a lot to think about, Mr. Malfoy."

"I'm glad to have struck your curiosity," said Draco.

"You've done more than that," said Lady Tremaine, "I believe we can take these simple negotiations and create a business that will eclipse all others."

"Trans-dimensional commerce," said Draco, "with profits for both parties in the hundreds of billions."

"Why stop at billions?" Lady Tremaine, "why stop with just two worlds? There are countless universes, each with countless worlds to explore and exploit for profit."

"I was hoping you'd say something like that," said Draco.

"I don't believe it," said Ron as he, Harry, Hermione and Ginny watched the negotiations, "Malfoy's got her eating out of the palm of his hand."

"He'll have her doing more than that before long," said Ginny.

"At least he's keeping those maniacs from destroying the village," said Hermione, "be grateful for that."

"Which gives us time to get ready to take them down," said Harry. He then glanced behind to where several Bureau agents and Ministry wizards were preparing…something. One of the wizards gave Harry the thumbs up, while a Bureau operative held up his hand with all five fingers out, signaling that his group needed another five minutes.

"I just hope this plan works," said Ginny, "it was kind of a spur of the moment thing."

"We wouldn't have survived half as long if we didn't rely on spur of the moment things," said Harry. He then frowned, "but that's not what's bothering me. If we get through this without anyone else getting hurt, then we'll have Draco Malfoy to thank."

"I never thought I'd live to see the day that we owe Malfoy for anything," said Ron, "I'll bet that three-faced git had this all planned out so we'd be in his debt."

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron," said Hermione, "honestly, we? Owe him? He still owes us for saving his life during The Battle of Hogwarts."

"That's right," said Ginny, "he owes you twice."

"Considering that he's doing this to save all of us," said Harry, "if we get through this mess, I'll be willing to call it even."

"So then," said Draco, "you'll go back to your superiors and tell them that we hope to open trading negotiations."

"While you'll do the same with your superiors," said Lady Tremaine, "with profit for all."

"I don't believe this," said Gaston irately, "you want to waste your time lining your pockets, do it without me!"

"I have no complaints on that," said Lady Tremaine, "more profit for the rest of us."

"It's so nice to finally meet someone whom understands the virtues of greed," said Draco as he stood up from the table.

"Yes, greed is good," said Lady Tremaine as she stood up. The two of them walked to one side and shook hands, "Greed works."

"Greed works," said Draco.

* * *

**…The Enemy Camp…**

"Those morons!" snapped Regina as she watched the negotiations via a small magic mirror that she had retrieved from her briefcase, "why haven't they demolished the village yet!?"

"It's clear that they've succumbed to one of the seven deadly sins," said Sephiroth, "greed."

"My favorite," said Dio Brando.

"No one can say that I do not value greed," said Regina, "but when I say destroy something, I mean it! I'm going over there to get those two wastes of skin to get in line!"

"I'll go with you," said Dio Brando, "I'm in the mood to admonish the newbies."

"You stay right here," said Regina, "you and Sephiroth. You're needed here to keep an eye on the cannon demons."

"What are you talking about?" Dio Brando asked, "the blaster beasties are still going," he looked at the six cannon demons as they kept up their restless barrage on the shielded castle, "they're fine, so why keep an eye on them?"

"They're fine because they've got at least two dark minds to keep them from asserting their independence," said Regina, "three or more is better, but two are needed so they don't stop, or worse, turn on us."

"They can do that?" Dio Brando asked.

"You'd be surprised what some demonic species are capable of," said Sephiroth.

"Which is why you two shall stay and I'll go put our comrades back on the correct path." With that Regina teleported out.

"Wonderful girl," said Dio Brando as he sat down and pulled out a deck of Triple Triad cards, "either I'm going to kill her or I'm starting to like her." Sephiroth also pulled out his own Triple Triad deck and the two of them began to play.

* * *

**…Hogsmeade…**

Just then Regina teleported in with a violet puff of smoke, looking like she was ready to inflict a lot of pain, and right now, she was glaring irately at Lady Tremaine. "What the hell are you doing?!" the former evil queen demanded, "I sent you and muscle boy here to destroy the village! Not make friends!"

"I was just…" said Lady Tremaine, hoping to justify her actions before her sister in darkness obliterated her.

"I know what you were doing!" snapped Regina, "you were trying to earn a little money off the books."

"This is more than just my own profit, my dear Regina," said Lady Tremaine, "not just a little money. Just imagine it, trade across universes. Enough profit to keep us all in the lap of luxury for the rest of our lives. Just imagine it!"

"I could care less for profit," said Regina, "all that matters if power."

"You simply don't understand," said Lady Tremaine, "profit is power! Once you have enough money, you can do whatever you want, acquire whatever you want, take whatever you want and no one can stop you! Money is power!"

"_Power _is power!" snapped Regina, "you've lost sight of our mission. When Maleficent hears of this…"

"Maleficent be damned!" said Lady Tremaine, "you hate her just as much as I do."

"I won't deny that," said Regina, "but she holds the secret to the potion that keeps us hale and whole."

"Not for much longer," said Lady Tremaine. She then went back to Draco, "if I were to ask about synthesizing a potion, can it be done?"

"Depends on what the potion is," said Draco, "and how much you're willing to pay for it."

"I still have some gold reserves at my disposal," said Lady Tremaine, "and you can use my blood to find out all you need to know about the potion."

"Potions was my favorite class at Hogwarts," said Draco, "and I believe that, given the right compensation and flattery, I can convince Professor Slughorn to work on the potion."

"Is he that good?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"Well…" said Draco in an ambiguous tone, "there was one better, but old Sluggy is the best on hand, assuming you and your friends end this pointless siege."

"You heard him," said Lady Tremaine to Regina, "end this nonsense and we can be free of Maleficent's control!"

"What of Sephiroth and Dio Brando?" Regina asked, "and what of muscles here?"

"Don't bother about me," said Gaston in a sarcastic tone, "I'll just sit here and be bored."

"Well?" Lady Tremaine asked Regina, "what say you?"

Although she was reluctant to say it, Regina was severely tempted to accept Draco's offer, if only to get away from Maleficent.

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion…**

"To think that those two would have the audacity to even consider escaping me," said Maleficent as she and Xehanort watched the negotiations in Hogsmeade, "what utter foolish boldness," she then clapped her hands mockingly, "I congratulate them."

"Yes, we're all proud that they have backbones," said Xehanort, "now, what are you going to do to them?"

"Shatter their pride and hope, of course," said Maleficent. She then cast a dark magic spell that transmitted across time and space.

* * *

**…Hogsmeade…**

All of a sudden, Lady Tremaine gasped and clutched at her heart, collapsing to her knees as she struggled to breathe.

"What is it?" Draco asked in a concerned tone, "what's wrong?"

"She's having a heart attack!" exclaimed one of the Bureau agents.

"Doc Spartan!" exclaimed another.

"Coming!" shouted Aaron as he ran forward with his black bag.

"Save your breath, mutant!" snapped Regina in a neutral tone as she held out her hand, "my colleague in darkness is not having a myocardial infarction."

"It sure feels that way!" exclaimed Lady Tremaine.

Just then everyone heard Maleficent's disembodied words, "_that is because I made you feel that way, my friend."_

"Maleficent!" exclaimed an outraged Harry, "why can't you just leave well enough alone!?"

"_Mr. Potter," _said Maleficent, "_how pleasing it is to know that you are there, as well as the majority of your friends and loved ones. It will make my revenge all the more gratifying."_

"Come here and face me, you coward!" said Harry.

"Face all of us!" said Ginny.

"_Nothing would make me happier than to eradicate all of you personally,"_ said Maleficent, _"but alas, I have other things on my mind. You! Regina! You and Tremaine! If you think for one second that you can escape from my control, you are sorely mistaken!"_

"I never said that I wanted to leave your gracious company," said Regina.

"Liar!" snapped Lady Tremaine as she gritted her teeth against the pain in her heart, "you were an instant away from taking the offer!" she then pointed an accusing finger at Draco, "and it's all his fault! He made the offer!"

"I had to try," said Draco, "I had to do what I could to keep my son safe!"

"And everyone else," said Hermione.

"Oh give it a rest," said Ron, "Malfoy was only interested in lining his pockets."

"Earning a profit was a secondary goal," said Draco.

"Whatever," said Regina, "so, Maleficent, what now? Do we get back to work?"

"_Absolutely you get back to work!" _snapped Maleficent, _"destroy the castle and the village!"_

At that Lady Tremaine gasped in relief and stood up, "ah, that's better. Now," she then grinned viciously as she glared at all of the Bureau agents, witches and wizards, "have a taste of despair!" she then aimed her hand at a group of Bureau agents and shot her torment beam.

"_Expecto Patronum!" _shouted Ginny as she aimed her wand at Lady Tremaine. An enormous white stallion made of pure happiness erupted from her wand and countered the torment beam, completely canceling it out.

"You!" snapped Lady Tremaine, "how dare you deny me the suffering to fill the emptiness within me!"

"If you need to hurt people in order to make you feel better," said Ginny, "then there's something seriously wrong with you!"

"She's been changed," said Gaston, "just like me!" he then fired his destruction beam at one of the shops further down the street, demolishing it into kindling and forcing several nearby wizards and Bureau agents to scatter.

"That's right, fear me!" exclaimed Gaston, "fear me as I rip you all apart!"

"Rip this!" snapped Max as he drew his revolver and shot Gaston, hitting the mutated man three times in the chest. But then the bullet holes closed up, the bullets popping out and the wounds were gone.

"Nice try, old man," said Gaston, "but you'll have to do better than that!" he then shot his destruction beam at Max, burning a massive hole in the Meta Human's chest.

But then the hole closed up, the wound completely healing over within seconds, leaving Max no worse than before.

"I've been damaged by worse attacks," said Max.

"So, we're at a stalemate," said Gaston.

"Yeah," said Max, "your genetic augmentation, verses my natural Meta genes."

"Don't risk it, Max!" said one of the Bureau operatives, "don't give this crazy Splicer the satisfaction!"

"We can take this creepazoid Splicer!" shouted another Bureau operative, while the others shouted in agreement.

"I appreciate the thought," said Max as he holstered his revolver, "but this is one fight I have to win myself. It's the only way to prevent him from destroying the village and hurting anyone else."

"And just how do you propose to stop me from indulging in wonton death and destruction?" Gaston asked.

"You'll agree to my terms, or be marked forever as a coward forever," said Max, "so, you see, you'll either agree to a fair fight, or live with the shame of cowardice forever."

At that Gaston looked like he was ready to kill Max on general principle, "don't you call me a coward!" he snapped.

"But you are a bully," said Max, "you're used to intimidating those around you in order to get your way, as well as mistreat those you consider lesser than you. You're a bully, and like all bullies, you're also a coward!"

"I'm not a coward!" spat Gaston, "I was the strongest man in my home town! I could out run and out fight any man for miles, I could track and kill any animal! I had all the girls in town in the palm of my hand! I was a hero, damn it!"

"I've been around people long enough to recognize a bully when I see one," said Max defiantly, "and a coward. But I'm willing to give you a chance to redeem yourself. Face me in single combat; no weapons, not outside help, just your fists and mine."

At that Gaston looked at Max curiously, "Queensbury Rules?"

"If that's how you wish it, then yeah," said Max, "Queensbury Rules!" He then took off his gun-belt and handed it to one of the Bureau agents, then his BPRD jacket, rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and put his fists up, "whenever you're ready."

A wide space was made in the middle of the street as the Bureau operatives and wizards got out of the way. Gaston then approached Max, "when this is over," said Gaston as he rolled the sleeves of his shirt up, "and you're eating dust on the ground, you'll admit that I'm no coward."

"And when I win," said Max, "you leave this world and never come back! Now put up or shut up!"

"Gladly!" exclaimed Gaston as he threw a right cross at Max, whom blocked it and sent a left jab at Gaston, whom dodged it, only to be hit in the stomach by a right jab, followed by a left hook and a right jab to his side. Gaston then retaliated with a one-two combination to Max's face, then threw a right uppercut, which Max dodged, then countered with an uppercut of his own that connected to Gaston's chin.

The two of them continued to trade blows, dodging some but failing to avoid others. Yet none of them seemed to be doing much damage to each other.

"My guess is that they'll be at it for a while," said Regina as she smiled wickedly, "so we might as well enjoy ourselves!" she then summoned a fireball and threw it at The Three Broomsticks, setting the thatch roof alight.

But then Harry extinguished the fire with a jet of water from his wand, "I was hoping we'd settle this our way," said Harry, "one magic user versus another."

"A duel?" Regina asked, "well, why didn't you say so! I'd be honored to duel the famous Harry Potter, vanquisher of Lord Voldemort, one whom dueled the mistress of all evil, Maleficent, to a standstill."

"I'm not that special," said Harry, "just a man who only wishes for a quiet life with the ones he loves," he then bowed respectively to Regina, whom bowed back.

"Only the strong deserves to have their wishes granted," said Regina.

"We'll see about that!" said Harry. He then cast a full body bind on Regina, whom blocked it, then retaliated with a curse that would have knocked him unconscious. Harry blocked that, then responded with a stunning spell of his own, which Regina blocked.

"Another stalemate," said Lady Tremaine, "how tedious."

"Don't think we're just going to stand here and let you roam free!" said Ginny.

"I was hoping you'd say that," said Lady Tremaine irately, "you managed to counter my power, but how long can you endure pure suffering?"

"As long as I have to!" said Ginny, "I'll match my happiness against your despair any day of the week!"

"Then so be it!" said Lady Tremaine, "A battle of wills, to the death!" with that she shot her torment beam at Ginny, while Ginny launched her stallion Patronus. The two opposing forces, happiness and sorrow, hope and despair, met and tried to force each other back, yet neither caster was giving ground as they pored more and more energy into their emotions.

"Now what?" Ron asked.

"We wait until everyone is ready," said Hermione as she, Ron and the others watched the three fights, "and hope that Max, Harry and Ginny can outlast these horrible people."

"My money's on Potter," said Draco, "we may not get along, but I have to admit, he has the devil's luck."

"Or maybe a different higher power on his side," said Aaron as he stood ready with his black bag, "but that's just my opinion."

* * *

**…The Astronomy Tower…**

"I knew that negotiating with those maniacs wouldn't work," said Neville as he and the others watched the three fights through their telescopes.

"No offense, Scorpio," said Izzy, "but your dad, he sucks at making deals."

"He's the best!" Scorpio insisted, "it's the aliens whom are at fault, not my father."

"Well, I don't see your father doing much," said Aiden.

"Where as my father is kicking butt!" said Albus, "get her, dad! Show that alien maniac that we don't take any crap from anyone! And you too, mum!"

"Kill him, Max!" shouted Jill, "sent that muscle bastard to hell!"

All of a sudden, Sora had a very unpleasant thought, "this would be when something really bad happens."

"What are you talking about?" Izzy asked, "our friends are winning, aren't they?"

"They are," said Riku, "but I agree, if the enemy is going to do something, it'd be now."

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion…**

"How pitiful," said Maleficent as she and Xehanort watched the three fights, "to think that these three," she indicated Gaston, Regina and Lady Tremaine, "are allies to the darkness."

"One takes what one can get," said Xehanort. He then grinned viciously as he saw Gaston receive a particularly nasty left hook to his face. "I'm almost enjoying this."

"Yes," said Maleficent as she watched Regina stumble back from a spell from Harry, while Lady Tremaine's torment beam began to give ground from Ginny's Patronus charm, "I almost feel sorry for them, almost."

"But alas," said Xehanort, "our 'friends' are in dire need of a lesson in humility."

"True," said Maleficent, "yet they are still valuable assets."

"Indeed," said Xehanort, "so, how shall we…assist, them?"

Just then Doctor Insano giggled madly, "I know how to help them, but…"

"But what?" Xehanort asked.

"No, never mind," said Insano, "it's a stupid idea, you'll hate me for it."

"I never was fond of your company to begin with," said an annoyed Maleficent, "now state your idea, and be quick about it! Patience may be one of my virtues, but I am not one to be pushed too far!"

"Yes, tell us your idea," said Xehanort.

"So be it," said Insano, "now, I'm assuming _your _first idea would to be to send a wave of Heartless, right?"

"It crossed my mind," said Xehanort.

"You are trying my patience," said Maleficent, "tell us your plan, now!"

"Killbots," said Insano as he grinned madly, "instead of Heartless, we send Killbots."

"Killbots?" Xehanort asked.

"Yes, Killbots!" exclaimed Insano, "we send Killbots!" he then laughed like the maniac he was.

"What are these…kill bots?" Maleficent asked cautiously.

"Killer robots," said Xehanort, "mechanical death machines programmed in the exquisite art of murder."

"Precisely!" exclaimed Insano.

"I admit, it is a…pleasing idea," said Xehanort, "but there's one problem. We have no Killbots here."

"True," said Insano, "but I know where to get some in a hurry. I know a biologist, who knows a hematologist, who knows a friend of a friend of a friend whom manufactures Killbots. I can have a dozen beamed over in an instant!" he then giggled madly again.

"And just how much will these death machines cost us?" Maleficent asked, "or do I need to cast a few spells in order to get some results?"

"You don't have to lift a finger," said Insano, "nor will any of us have to pay a penny! Everyone in the chain of acquaintance, the biologist, the hematologist, the friend of a friend of a friend in the factory, they're all blackmailing each other, with me having the most dirt on them all!"

"Then by all means summon the Killbots," said Xehanort.

"Gladly," said Insano. He then pulled out his PDA and sent a message. A few seconds later a large wooden box was transported into the room.

"Special Delivery!" giggled Insano as he pulled out a crowbar. He then jumped atop the box and pried open one of the sides. From the box emerged twelve robots, each about a meter high and moving on tank treads. Each one had a rotating upper torso and a head, with the torso having four, multi-jointed arms, while the torsos had rocket pods. The heads had a single red eye that could fire laser beams.

'READY FOR DUTY!' one of the Killbots said in a reverberating tone. At that all of the Killbots raised one of their right arms in a saluting gesture.

"Smashing," said Insano, "I'll beam you to your destination. From there you are to kill everyone in sight," he then indicated Gaston, Regina and Lady Tremaine, "except for those three," he then looked at Xehanort and Maleficent, "assuming you want them alive."

"We still need them," said Xehanort, "unfortunately."

"Spare the three," said Insano to the Killbots, "eradicate the rest!"

'ORDER ACCEPTED!' said the Killbot, 'HAVE A NICE DAY!' With that the dozen Killbots saluted again and beamed out.

"Charming machines," said Maleficent dryly.

"I'll accept them," said Xehanort, "so long as they're effective."

"Oh they'll get the job done, alright," said Insano, "they'll turn that village into a graveyard of the damned!" he then laughed like the lunatic he was.

* * *

**…Hogsmeade…**

Without warning, the twelve Killbots teleported into the village and launched their attack, firing their lasers and rockets. In the first ten seconds nearly a dozen Bureau operatives were killed, while six Ministry wizards also died and three buildings were either blown up or set on fire.

"Where the bloody hell did those things come from!" shouted Ron as he, Hermione and everyone else scrambled for cover. He, Hermione and their fellow witches and wizards aimed their wands and shot attack spells at the robots, but the machines's metal chassis absorbed the spells. In the next few seconds, another building was destroyed, while two more wizards were incinerated.

"Who wants to bet that these things were sent by the enemy!" shouted one of the Bureau agents as he and his fellow operatives opened fire on the robots, shooting with advanced machineguns and lasers, yet the armor of the Killbots was too strong.

Just then Harry, distracted by the carnage committed by the robots, missed a spell from Regina and was hit, knocked to the ground. Ginny was then distracted by this, causing her Patronus to falter enough for Lady Tremaine's torment beam to overpower the white stallion and hit Ginny. Within seconds, she was overcome by the pure despair and sorrow of the beam and fell to her knees.

"No!" shouted Max as he saw all of this. He then tried to get away from Gaston, but the mutated man then shot a double destruction beam at him, hitting Max and burning two holes in his torso and knocking Max to the ground. Gaston then maintained the destruction beams, burning more holes in him.

"Well, isn't this a delight," said Regina as she advanced on Harry, "how the mighty have fallen."

"Do whatever you want with me," said Harry as he struggled to get up, "but leave everyone else alone!"

"No chance!" said Lady Tremaine as she increased her torment beam on Ginny, "I want this little witch to suffer! The hell she'll wind up in will seem like heaven after I'm finished with her!"

But then Ginny struggled to her feet, enduring the torment beam, "if you think…that you can…break me…you're wrong! No…amount of despair and sorrow…will take…away my…happiness!"

"How tedious!" said Lady Tremaine.

"Let's just kill them and get it over with!" said Gaston as he fired more of his destruction beam at Max, burning holes into him faster than the Meta Human could regenerate.

But then Gaston got one step too close to Max. He then kicked up at the mutated man, hitting Gaston in the crotch with enough force to break a ceramic block. Gaston gasped in agony as he clutched at his assaulted privates and doubled over.

Max then got up, the burn holes in his body beginning to heal. He glared wrathfully at Gaston, "okay," he said through gritted teeth, "now I'm mad!" he then leapt at Gaston and began thrashing him, delivering punch after kick, each blow containing devastating power breaking bones and bursting organs, then delivered more damage as the previous wounds healed.

"Max's alright," said Hermione as she and Ron ducked another laser blast, "but we've got to help Harry and Ginny!"

"You seem to be forgetting something important, Weasley!" said Draco as he ducked a rocket.

"Who invited you to this spot!?" Ron asked.

"It was closest," said Draco as they all ducked a laser blast.

Just then John jumped out from his cover, "alright, I'm ending this mess here and now!" he then cast a spell that activated several small machines that were scattered across the village. Each machine began emitting an energy pulse.

Almost immediately, Regina, Lady Tremaine and Gaston began gasping for breath, as if they had just ran a marathon. Regina backed away from Harry, allowing him to get up, while Lady Tremaine nearly fell to her knees, freeing Ginny from the torment beam. As for Gaston, he was receiving an even worse beating from Max, smashing parts of the mutated man into pulp.

As for the Killbots, they ceased their assault on the village and the people, moving around erratically.

"Let's put these rust buckets out with the trash!" one of the Bureau agents. He and several more operatives then pulled out RPG's and fired at the robots. The shaped charges impacted on the deadly machines and destroyed them.

"What is this magic!?" Regina gasped as she clutched at her head, while Lady Tremaine did the same.

"Not magic, well, not _just_ magic," said John.

"It's a little something we've been working on for just such an occasion," said Rebecca, "a fusion of magic and muggle science, working together to repel those with dark hearts!"

"The workings of the devices would take too long to explain," said Hermione as she and everyone else came out from cover, "but needless to say, the devices are smart enough to seek out evil and make things rather unpleasant for them." She then looked at the destroyed Killbots, "but I didn't expect a form of non-lethal anti-personal energy to work on machines."

"They must have been Killbots!" said Max in between punches.

"Clearly they're not the high-end model," said Draco as he kicked one of the destroyed machines.

"Xehanort, you idiot!" shouted Lady Tremaine, before bending over and retching.

"Save your breath," said Harry as he went over to Ginny and gave her a comforting hug. He then spoke to his beloved wife, "are you alright? Did that torture beam…"

"It wasn't that bad," said Ginny in a shaky but confident tone, "Nothing a huge chunk of chocolate wouldn't cure," she then smiled up at Harry, "and maybe a holiday in the tropics?"

"We'll talk," said Harry.

"You fools!" shouted Regina as she struggled to get up, yet collapsed to her knees again as he nose began to bleed, "you think this…this abomination, this filthy fusion of magic and science, can stop us!? Think again!" She then pulled out a scroll and unrolled it, revealing magical glyphs. She smeared some of her blood onto the scroll and chanted a spell. The glyphs glowed brightly and she vanished, as well as Gaston and Lady Tremaine.

"What the hell!?" exclaimed Max, "did they Disapparate or something?"

"It was a scroll spell," said Rebecca, "most likely an emergency teleport spell."

"Well, that was rude of them," said Draco.

"Don't you even talk, Malfoy!" snapped Ginny, "you didn't even lift a finger to help fight them!"

"I was doing well enough in getting them to agree to a peaceful settlement, Weasley!" said Draco, "another minute or so and they would have left well enough alone."

"It doesn't matter," said Harry, "they're gone and most likely won't be back again."

"Remind me to thank Virgil for his new anti-villain repellant machines," said Aaron between helping the wounded.

Just then one of the devices shorted out, then another and another. Within seconds the devices had all shut down.

"Just don't tell Virgil that they're all broken," said Ron.

"At least we have the enemy on the ropes," said Max, "I shouldn't have let that muscle-head Splicer upset me."

"Then let's end this siege," said Harry, "now, before the enemy can regroup!"

"Attack the dark ones," said Max. "We'll draw up a plan and move as soon as reinforcements get here."

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion…**

"You unbalanced fool!" snapped Maleficent. She then cast a levitation spell on Insano, lifting the madman into the air, "those machines of yours were a complete waste of time!"

"No wonder they failed," said Xehanort as he summoned a data pad and read a report, "those Killbots were the 3.6 model, out of date by nearly two decades!"

"I didn't know they were obsolete!" exclaimed Insano as he rotated upside down, "my connections assured me that they were unbeatable!"

Maleficent then brought Insano closer, stopping his inverted body a few inches from her face, "then let this be a lesson to you, madman! The next time you initiate a campaign of blackmail, make sure they have competent skills!" She then slammed Insano against the wall. He then slid to the ground and lay there, moaning in agony.

"I fell on my keys," wailed Insano.

"Serves you right, you degenerate," said Maleficent in a contemptuous tone.

"Well, that was an entertaining distraction," Xehanort as he took a handful of popcorn out of a bowl, "I'm glad I thought to bring in refreshments."

"I'll admit," said Maleficent as she picked up a plate full of mini-cupcakes, "my host does have a bit of a sweet tooth."

"I want some cupcakes!" said Insano as he started to get back up.

"No!" snapped Maleficent as she cast a spell that forced Insano back to the floor, "you shall not move an inch until I say so!"

"Oh photons!" moaned Insano as he found himself complete immobilized.

"Consider this a fitting punishment for your failure," said Xehanort. He then looked at Maleficent, "so, what's the next move."

At that Maleficent stood up and began pacing back and forth in thought, "I do not know, yet. We should concentrate on breaking down that shield around Hogwarts. I must know the secret to The Sign. Regina!"

* * *

**…The Enemy Camp…**

Regina, whom was holding a towel to her bleeding nose, heard Maleficent calling her, "what do you want?" she asked in a cold, irate tone.

"_What I want," _said Maleficent, _"is for you to carry out your mission, the destruction of Hogwarts and the acquisition of The Sigh of The Sacred Heart!"_

"I'm afraid I'm not able to carry out that mission," said Regina, "I'm feeling a bit under the weather, as are most of us here," she then looked at Lady Tremaine, whom was vomiting over a nearby bush, while Gaston was laying on his back, his wounds healing but slowly. Dio Brando and Sephiroth were ignoring them as they continued their game of Triple Triad.

"_I wouldn't care if you one foot in the grave!" _snapped Maleficent, _"you know what I did to your fellow sister in darkness. Unless you wish to suffer the experience of a heart attack, you will obey! Destroy Hogwarts and bring me the secret of The Sign!"_

"Whatever you say," said Regina, "but I need something in return. I need more of the potion in order to get back to full strength! You want to argue with me? That's your prerogative, but if you want the school gone and The Sign in your hands, then give me what I need!"

"_You insufferable little child!"_ snapped Maleficent, _"you dare try to bargain with me!?"_

"I'm merely telling you what I need in order to get you what you want," said Regina, "that's the truth."

At that Maleficent was silent for a few seconds, _"very well, you shall receive an additional dose of the potion. It will take a while to brew more, but you'll get what you need now. I assume you'll want an additional dose for Lady Tremaine?"_

"I fear that if she ingests anything right now, it will come right back up again," said Regina, "so, only one dose is needed."

"_So be it," _said Maleficent.

With that a vial of the potion appeared in Regina's hand, which she immediately downed. Within seconds she was fully recovered, her body healed, her energies restored and the bleeding of her nose ceased. She then cast a cleaning spell to remove the blood from her skin and stained clothing.

"Much better," said Regina, "now, I believe it is time to get serious."

"You haven't been taking this serious until now?" Gaston asked as he sat up, his wounds nearly completely healed.

"I have been serious," said Regina, "but nearly enough." she then cast another spell and six more cannon demons appeared and began firing on the shield. There were six minor shockwaves as the six new beams impacted the shield, but other than that there was no effect.

"Let's see how long that mutant can keep this up," said Regina. She then glared at Lady Tremaine, "are you quite finished?"

"Almost!" groaned Lady Tremaine, but then she bent over to throw up some more.

"Well, do finish up and pull yourself together," said Regina. She then glared at Sephiroth and Dio Brando, "And you two!" she then smiled disarmingly, "having fun?"

"Oh yes," said Sephiroth after winning a round of the game and collecting a card from Dio Brando as a reward, "I am definitely enjoying myself."

"That's fifteen straight rounds you've won!" snapped Dio Brando, "you're cheating!"

"I am not," said Sephiroth, "it's skill, pure and simple."

"You're cheating," said Dio Brando stubbornly, "I don't know how you're managing it, but you're cheating!"

"Or maybe you're just bad at card games," said Gaston as he stood up, his wounds fully healed.

"I could care less who is cheating or who is unskilled!" said Regina, "I need you all to focus on the cannon demons! With twice as many now, it will take all five of us to keep them under control!"

* * *

**…The Astronomy Tower…**

"Damn it!" snapped Jill, "I thought we had it won!"

"Those anti-evil repellant things were brilliant!" said Neville, "I'm sorry they didn't last long."

"Just be glad that they forced Regina and the other maniacs away from our friends," said Riku

"Yeah, one problem solved," said Aiden. He then pointed at the six additional beams assaulting the shield, "and another popped up."

"How much longer can Olivia last with twice as many demon cannons attacking her shield?" Sora asked.

"About half as long as she would have with only six," said Jill, "obviously."

"But how long do we have now?" Tess asked.

Just then Ashley walked out onto the balcony, "I'm afraid it's not good," she said. "I was checking on Olivia when the new demon cannons fired. I was able to get a better idea on how much energy she had left, but now…"

"How long, Ashley?" Jill asked.

"Three hours," said Ashley, "Olivia will run out of energy in three hours, and then, I assume, she'll either wake up of her own accord, or die. Either way, she'll no longer be able to maintain the shield and we'll be venerable again."

"The hell we will," said Jessie as she walked out onto the balcony, "you said we have three hours?"

"Plus or minus a few minutes," said Ashley.

"It'll have to do," said Jessie as she wrote into her notebook, "we underestimated the enemy before, but not again. When the shield comes down, we'll be ready."

"In the meantime," said Jill as she prepared to flash a message to Max, "I'll tell the others that they've got three hours to do whatever they're going to do."

"You do that," said Ashley. She then looked at Sora, Riku, Tess, Aiden, Malcolm, Roxas and Naminé, "oh, before I forget, Cho and I have finished the map."

"What map?" Aiden asked.

"The three dimensional map of Hogwarts that shows all the locations of the carved Sign in the castle," said Ashley, "but I see that you've got other things on your mind, so…"

"Let's go!" shouted Sora. With that he, Riku, Tess, Aiden, Malcolm, Roxas, Naminé, Neville and Angelina, all headed for the stairs.

"Not so fast!" exclaimed Jessie at Neville and Angelina, "I need you to help me improve the castle defenses."

"But…The Sign," said Angelina.

"It's what those black-robes were so bothered about," said Neville.

"The black-robes are gone," said Jessie, "it's those other maniacs that I'm worried about. Now, do I have to go to the Headmistress and tell her that you're neglecting your duties to the school by chasing after an irrelevant mystery? Or are you going to act like Hogwarts Professors?"

"We are Hogwarts professors, damn it!" snapped Angelina, "and we'll prove it!"

"Sora, good luck, all of you," said Neville.

"And you too," said Sora.

"Enjoy yourselves," said Jill, "if you need me at all with the castle defenses…"

"You stay here and keep contact with the village, Jill," said Jessie, "God knows we need all the help we can get, but you and Andrew are the only ones at Hogwarts who know Farsi, and Andrew's barricaded himself in the kitchen."

"Once he gets into a cooking project, not even the devil can make him stop," said Jill as she smiled, "that's one thing I love so much about him."

With that Jill stayed atop the tower, while Neville and Angelina went with Jessie to shore up the defenses of Hogwarts. Sora and everyone else followed Ashley through the castle corridors to the History of Magic classroom, where Cho was waiting. On her desk was a fist-sized crystal that was projecting a 3D map of Hogwarts.

"Incredible, isn't it?" Cho asked as she admired the map, "only four others had managed to make such a map of the castle before."

"The Marauders," said Ashley, "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs."

"My grandfather James was Prongs," said Albus as he smiled proudly.

"What about the markings of The Sign?" Izzy asked.

"That's what we want to know," said Tara as she and the rest of the welcoming committee piled into the classroom.

"If you know what The Sign is about," said Kylie, "then tell us!"

"Our world has waited twenty years to know the secret of The Sign," said Cordelia.

"Well, you can wait a little longer," said Ashley, "because we've only solved a few clues to the bigger picture."

"The woodcarving had a coded message," said Cho, "which lead to us making this map of Hogwarts."

"Fantastic," said Lancaster as he and the others looked at the 3D map of the castle.

"It's great," said Tara. She then looked at Ashley, "but what does it all mean?"

"That's what we hope to figure out next," said Ashley, "and hopefully within three hours."

"What happens in three hours?" Ryo asked.

"Olivia's shield collapses and we all get swarmed with Heartless," said Aiden, "or something worse that Regina summons."

"She brought in those cannon demons," said Riku, "She could bring in just about anything."

"Which is why we all need to work together and figure out what to next," said Ashley. She then pointed at the map, "so, what do you all think?"

At that Sora and everyone else looked at the map.

"How many markings of The Sign are there?" Yasmine asked.

"One hundred and eight," said Cho.

"Which could mean anything," said Ashley as she paced back and forth, "the number 108; it's divisible by 36 and so on, it's the number of beads in a Tibetan prayer rosary, Stonehenge is 108 feet in diameter, 108 suitors of Penelope, 108 pressure points on the body, 108 stitches in a baseball, the atomic number of hassium, the body temperature at which organs begin to fail, it's the sum of 'The Numbers' from 'Lost…'"

"Hang on," said Sora as he looked at the map, "maybe the number of carvings isn't that important."

"How so?" Cho asked.

"Maybe it's about where the carvings are placed in the castle," said Sora.

"They're all randomly placed all over the castle," said Riku, "it's completely…no, wait! Maybe it's not random!" he looked at Cho and Ashley, "can you draw lines between the carvings?"

"I see what you're getting at," said Ashley as she looked at the map, "Cho, draw the lines as I describe them!" She then had Cho alter the map so that lines were drawn between the locations of The Sign, each line connecting two of the carvings, making fifty four in all.

"Look at where all the lines intersect," said Riku, "all of them converge in one spot," he pointed to where all the lines indeed crossed each other, somewhere on the 5th floor of the castle.

"It's one of the old, unused classrooms," said Cho as she looked at the map.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sora asked, "let's go!"

It didn't take long for Sora and the others to reach the unused classroom on the 5th floor. When they got there they found the door to be locked.

"That's not going to stop us," said Cho as she took out her wand and pointed it at the lock, _"Alohomora!" _The lock glowed brightly for a second and gave a loud 'click!'

But then when Cho tried the door again, she found that it still wouldn't open.

"It's as if it's been welded shut," said Kylie.

"Or just needs another push," said Tess as she summoned her Keyblade, "of a different sort." She then aimed her Keyblade at the lock and shot a beam of energy. There was another loud 'click!' and it swung open.

"How'd you know to do that?" Cass asked.

"Instincts, I guess," said Tess, "I could feel that that door was sealed with deeper magic than just a simple locking spell."

"Being a Keyblade Wielder has its perks," said Malcolm.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sora asked again. He and the others then went inside the classroom.

The room consisted of several rows of benches with built-in writing desks, while a larger desk, all of which looked centuries old, along with the floor and bookshelves, were covered in a thick layer of dust.

"This must have been part of the original architecture of the castle," said Cho as she cast a cleaning spell that removed all of the dust, while Tara and her fellow students illuminated the room with their wands. "Just think of it, one of the four founders may have taught in this classroom." She walked over to the desk, "maybe Rowena Ravenclaw herself sat here."

"More like Helga Hufflepuff," said Yasmine.

"How do you know?" Roxas asked.

"Seed samples," said Yasmine as she pulled a small glass vial off of one of the bookcases.

"Makes you wonder what the other Founders had in their classrooms," said Cordelia.

"I'll bet old Salazar Slytherin had poison samples everywhere," said Alison.

"Where as Godric must have had items that focused on courage," said Ryo, "and Rowena had books."

"Okay, so we're here," said Aiden, "so what now?"

"The four founders sealed the room for a reason," said Tara, "they wanted to keep something safe, something that they wanted no one else to know about until the time was right."

"Everyone, start looking," said Sora, "the four founders left something in here for us to find, so let's find it."

Everyone began examining the room and within minutes, found four small carvings of The Sign on each wall, as well as four on the ceiling.

"Now where are they pointing too?" Malcolm asked.

"Here!" shouted Ashley as she looked at all the carvings, "they're pointing at the floor!" she pointed to a spot on the floor between bench rows.

Roxas felt along the spot on the floor and found a hidden switch. He pressed it and a 2ft square of the floor slid open, revealing a compartment that held a wooden cube that had old Gallic writing on all sides.

"Okay, the next clue," said Sora as Cho carefully took the cube out and placed it on the desk.

"Now what?" Cordelia asked.

"We try to open the box, of course," said Malcolm.

"One thing at a time," said Ashley as she and Cho examined the box, "if I'm reading this right, then it says we've come a long way to find the box and asks if we have the courage and conviction to go further."

"It says that?" Tess asked.

"In a nutshell," said Ashley, "it also says that we really do want to go forward, then just open the box."

"But how?" Cho asked, "as far as I can tell, it's all one solid cube of wood."

"No, it isn't," said Ashley. She then began furiously writing in her notebook, "I refuse to believe that the four founders lead us on this chase just to have us run into a dead end."

"I agree," said Cho, "so, what now? The box is so old, I'm afraid that even with magic, any tampering could irreparably damage it, possibly even damaging what's inside."

"So how do we open it without destroying the next clue?" Sora asked.

Ashley looked at the box, "there's one person whom could open the box without damaging it; J.D."

"You called?" J.D. asked as he stood at the doorway.

"How'd you know we were here?" Tara asked.

"I could hear you all talking all the way from the Hospital Wing," said J.D. as he walked in.

"How's Kairi?" Sora asked.

"Resting and recovering," said J.D., "that wasp venom did an even greater number on her mind than I initially anticipated. The hallucinations have been nullified, but there was some damage to her memories, nothing serious, she will recover with rest and time. I had Madam Pomfrey and Professor Slughorn whip up a healing draft that will keep Kairi asleep for another day or so, and after that it's best that she doesn't undergo any mental strain. When she wakes up, it would be in her best interest if her friends, or anyone she's closely familiar with, were there to reassure her mind and heart in case she forgot a few things."

"We'll be there," said Sora, while Riku, Tess,, Malcolm, Roxas and Naminé, all nodded in agreement.

"That's the spirit!" said J.D. "Now, what's this about a box that needs opening?"

"We're almost certain that the Four Founders placed this here," said Ashley as J.D. walked over to the desk, "waiting for the right time to be opened."

"The only problem is that we have no idea how to open it without breaking the box and what's inside it," said Cho.

"Leave everything to me," said J.D., "it'll get it open, without a doubt. I just need time."

"I hate to put any pressure on you," said Tess, "but time isn't a luxury here."

"Olivia will be out of power in less than three hours," said Ashley, "the shield will be down and the enemy can attack."

"Then I'd better get started," said J.D. He then picked up the box and began feeling all sides of it.

"We've translated the writing on the box," said Cho, "none of it tells us how to open it."

"I figured as much," said J.D., "now, everyone, be as quiet as you can, I need to concentrate."

"Are you sure he knows what he's doing?" Tess whispered to Ashley.

"J.D. wasn't always a Scanner in the employment of The Bureau," Ashley whispered, "he was once one of the most notorious safe crackers and lock picks in the criminal underground."

"No way," whispered Sora, "that guy? A thief?"

"He seems so nice," Alison whispered.

"Appearances aren't always what they seem," said Lancaster.

"J.D. wasn't a hard core thief," said Ashley, "he never kept what he stole. Everything he took, he used to help ease the suffering of the poor, the sick, the homeless, the starving. He was a modern day Robin Hood.

"Unfortunately, with all crimes, the ends do not justify the means. His exploits earned him outstanding warrants in multiple countries. When we found him and asked him to join as one of our Scanners, The Bureau and the U.S. government had to pull a tone of strings to get J.D. out of trouble. He'll still crack a safe if we ask him to, but his days of robbing the rich to feed the poor are over."

J.D. then placed the box on the table, "there is a lock," he said, "secured both mechanically and with magic and interlinked with each other. If the spell were broken, then a vial of acid inside would be broken and destroy the contents. If the lock were picked, then a spell would incinerate the contents."

"No one ever said the four founders were fools," said Tara, "so what now?"

"It's obvious," said Ashley as she smiled.

"Of course!" exclaimed Riku, "our Keyblades! Somehow, Godric Gryffindor and the other founders knew we were coming, so they made it so that only a Keyblade Wielder could get into the room."

"And they set it up so that only another Keyblade Wielder could unlock the box," said Tess.

"Six actually," said J.D., "there are in fact six spells and six mechanical locks on the box, one for each side of the cube."

Sora then pointed at Riku, then at Tess, at Aiden, at Malcolm, at Roxas and at himself, "six Keyblades between the five of us. I just wish Kairi could be here to be a part of it."

"She's with is us in heart," said Naminé, "so get that box open already!"

"Right," said Sora. With that he, Riku, Tess, Aiden, Malcolm and Roxas, all summoned their Keyblades. They then stood around the box, pointed at it with their Keyblades and shot beams of light at it. The box glowed brightly and it vibrated slightly six times, each time resonating with a loud 'click!'

A hidden seam appeared and the top side of the box opened up. From the interior of the box shone a small but bright white light. Everyone crowded around the box to look inside.

**The end of Chapter 7.**

_Next chapter finds our heroes dealing with the next clue. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. see you then!_


	8. Chapter 8: Warning From The Past

_Last time found our heroes watching as Gaston and Lady Tremaine entered Hogsmeade, intending on destroying the wizarding village. Harry, Max and the others there had a plan but needed time to get ready, so none other than Draco Malfoy stalled for time. He even managed to convince Regina and Lady Tremaine to settle things without violence, but then Maleficent forced the villains into battle. Many Bureau operatives and Ministry wizards were killed, as well as a few buildings of the village destroyed, but in the end the villains were forced back. Regina doubled her efforts to bring down the shield around Hogwarts by, literarily, summoning six more cannon demons._

_Inside Hogwarts, Sora and the others listened to the results of Ashley's and Cho's work on a 3D map of Hogwarts, which lead them to a sealed classroom that was once used by the Four Founders. Inside they followed more clues to a hidden box that J.D. helped figure out how to open. 'Nuff said, on with the show!_

**Chapter 8: Warning From The Past**

"Of course!" exclaimed Riku, "our Keyblades! Somehow, Godric Gryffindor and the other founders knew we were coming, so they made it so that only a Keyblade Wielder could get into the room."

"And they set it up so that only another Keyblade Wielder could unlock the box," said Tess.

"Six actually," said J.D., "there are in fact six spells and six mechanical locks on the box, one for each side of the cube."

Sora then pointed at Riku, then at Tess, at Aiden, at Malcolm, at Roxas and at himself, "six Keyblades between The five of us. I just wish Kairi could be here to be a part of it."

"She's with is us in heart," said Naminé, "so get that box open already!"

"Right," said Sora. With that he, Riku, Tess, Aiden, Malcolm and Roxas, all summoned their Keyblades. They then stood around the box, pointed at it with their Keyblades and shot beams of light at it. The box glowed brightly and it vibrated slightly six times, each time resonating with a loud 'click!'

A hidden seam appeared and the top side of the box opened up. From the interior of the box shone a small but bright white light. Everyone crowded around the box to look inside.

The small light rose up out of the box and hovered in the air above our heroes and allies.

"It's beautiful," said an awed Cordelia.

"But what is it?" Ryo asked.

As if in answer, the light expanded slightly and projected an image of a tall man in red and gold robes, with long, mane-like red hair and beard, green eyes and stood with a powerful build. In a scabbard belted to his waist was a magnificently crafted sword with egg-sized rubies in the hilt.

"Godric Gryffindor," said Kylie.

The image of Godric Gryffindor then spoke, _"Ah, it seems that after centuries, someone brave enough has followed the clues and have gotten this far."_

"It's a magical recording," said Tara, "a message from a thousand years ago."

Just then, the image of Gryffindor was joined by an image of a witch wearing blue and bronze robes. She had fair skin, long black hair and brown eyes that reflected great wisdom. Around her forehead was a silver diadem.

"_Courage wasn't their only gift, Godric," _said the witch, Rowena Ravenclaw, _"surely the seekers possess the intelligence to solve the clues we placed."_

"_And had the perseverance to follow each clue to the next one," _said the image of a second witch, one wearing black and yellow robes. She was short with gingery hair, blue eyes that radiated warmth and compassion and a round, plump figure. In her hands was a small, finely crafted gold cup with two handles.

"Helga Hufflepuff," said Yasmine.

"_Yes, yes, we all anticipated all of that," _said a fourth image, one of a gaunt wizard in green and silver robes, with a bald head, a monkish-like face with a long gray beard and gray eyes. In his hands was a heavy gold locket with an ornately carved serpentine S.

"_You could at least try to be more pleasant, Salazar," _said Helga Hufflepuff in an admonishing tone. _"Try to be more outgoing to those in the far future."_

"_I see no reason to be anything but quick and to the point," _said Salazar Slytherin as he irately crossed his arms, _"we did what we had set out to do, so why bother with this idiotic waste of time and magic?"_

"_Because our efforts may one day be rendered undone," _said Godric Gryffindor, _"Some day, and that day may not come for hundreds or thousands of years, The Sign will be unsealed. We are leaving this message for those whom seek to unseal it."_

"_Which is why we appearing before you, seekers of The Sign," _said Rowena Ravenclaw. _"You've come a long way, which means you've shown the courage, knowledge, perseverance," _she then glared mildly at Salazar Slytherin, _"and the cunning, to have solved all of our clues so far."_

"_But before you take the next step," _said Helga Hufflepuff, _"before following the next clue, please, hear our words."_

"_We, the founding witches and wizards of Hogwarts," _said Godric Gryffindor, _"we created The Sign of The Sacred Heart to serve not only as a guide to the future, but also to contain something very powerful."_

"_And dangerous," _said Salazar Slytherin, _"something that could destroy all life in the world if it falls into the wrong hands_," he then glared at Godric Gryffindor, _"this is what happens when you let the wrong students in."_

At that Godric Gryffindor looked very annoyed, _"oh, not this again! How many times am I going to have to explain to you that there is no difference between Pureblood and Muggleborn? Magic is magic!"_

"My thoughts exactly," said Malcolm.

"_My feelings towards Purebloods and…Muggleborns," _said Salazar Slytherin, emphasizing the word Muggleborn with much disgust, as if he had a more insulting word in mind, _"are my own. They have nothing to do with our current situation. I was merely suggesting that we should take measures to ensure that that never happens again."_

"_It won't happen again," _said Rowena Ravenclaw, _"because we sealed it away."_

"_Can we save this conversation for later?" _Helga Hufflepuff asked, _"there's only so much we can put into this message."_

"_I already said we should be quick and to the point," _muttered Salazar Slytherin, _"you're the ones who wanted to waste time."_

"_What's that you said?" _Godric Gryffindor asked.

"_Nothing," _said Salazar Slytherin. He then looked straight ahead, as if directly addressing Sora and the others, _"very well, I'll make this simple so even the most thick-headed of you, whomever you are, can easily understand._

"_Not too long ago, we and several other witches and wizards from across Europe and Asia, discovered a piece of magic so powerful, so deadly, that we had to remove the full secrets of it from our minds."_

"_But not before sealing it within Hogwarts," _said Rowena Ravenclaw, _"and after we finish this message, we will remove all remaining knowledge of it from our minds."_

"_We'll even forget this message," _said Helga Hufflepuff, _"all trace of what we did shall be forgotten, sacrificed, so that the world may live on in peace."_

"_But it will be a worthy sacrifice," _said Godric Gryffindor, _"yet, though we and many more shall forget, not all shall be lost."_

"_When we sealed away it," _said Rowena, _"and created The Sign of The Sacred Heart to act as the prime seal, we selected a handful of witches and wizards, all of whom shown the best of courage, knowledge, hard work and cunning."_

"_These men and woman vowed to keep the secret of The Sign," _said Helga Hufflepuff, _"to tell the secret to only those in their families, binding those families throughout the successive generations to guard the secret and to ensure that it is never released back into the world."_

"_Whomever you are," _said Salazar Slytherin to our heroes, _"you must think you're after it for a truly important reason." _He then stepped forward and glared right at Sora, _"well, trust me, no reason is important enough to release that."_

"_All we can say to you is to stop now before it is too late," _said Rowena Ravenclaw, _"if you are indeed seeking to unseal it, then you must have been in contact with the wizards in black, the descendents of those whom we entrusted the safety of The Sign."_

"_They vowed to do all in their power to protect The Sign," _said Helga Hufflepuff, _"even so far as to kill without mercy."_

"_We can only ask that you give up your quest," _said Godric Gryffindor, _"there is no shame in running away from something that would surely destroy all you hold dear."_

"_That's rich," _muttered Salazar Slytherin, _"coming from you."_

"_Where as you have the backbone of a slug," _muttered Godric Gryffindor. He then addressed our heroes again, _"but if you are truly adamant about seeking the truth of The Sign, of finding what we had sealed away, then you will find what you seek within The Heart of Hogwarts."_

"_But only if you are absolutely sure about finding it," _said Helga Hufflepuff, _"many died in our efforts to seal it away. And if you are seeing this, many more have died."_

"_Once again, we must ask you to stop," _said Rowena Ravenclaw, _"that is all we can do."_

"_Are we finished?" _Salazar Slytherin asked, _"I have other, more important, work to do."_

"_Honestly, you have no sense of adventure," _said Godric Gryffindor.

"_This message may not be seen for hundreds of years," _said Helga Hufflepuff, _"perhaps thousands."_

"_For all we know, it could be the year 10,000 A.D. before anyone gets far enough to find the message," _said Rowena, _"have you nothing further to say to the future? No parting words of wisdom?"_

"_Yes," _said Salazar Slytherin, he then glared at our heroes, _"do not unseal The Sign! I cannot emphasize that any more! Do not unseal it!" _he then glared at Godric Gryffindor and the others, _"satisfied?"_

"_It shall have to do," _said Godric Gryffindor. He then looked at our heroes and allies, _"All we can say now is good luck, whomever you are. May your hearts always be filled with courage to guide you through the worst of darkness."_

"_And the wisdom to illuminate that darkness," _said Rowena Ravenclaw.

"_And the perseverance to make it through the darkness," _said Helga Hufflepuff. She then looked at Salazar Slytherin, _"and a little cunning wouldn't hurt."_

"_True," _said Salazar Slytherin.

"_Good luck," _said Godric Gryffindor again, and with that the images of the four founders vanished, while the light that projected the images dimmed and returned to the box.

"That was…incredible!" exclaimed Cho, whom was smiling like Christmas came early, and then some.

"We actually saw and heard the words of The Four Founders!" said Tara, "it's a dream come true!" All the other student witches and wizards also looked like they had just had their heart's desire granted.

"The message must have been made years before Slytherin left Hogwarts," said Cordelia, "yet already the four of them were arguing."

"I'm sure they argued all the time," Yasmine, "but at least at that point, their friendship was still strong enough to endure whatever it was that forced them to do what they did."

"Won't the magical historians be jealous," said Tara, "we saw and heard The Four Founders speak!"

"That was an invigorating experience," said Ashley.

"But what did it mean?" Sora asked.

"It means that we should back off," said Riku.

"Back off?" Kylie asked, "how can you say that? We are the first in a thousand years to hear from The Four Founders!"

"Whom left a grave warning," said Malcolm, "they told us leave The Sign alone."

"They had their memories modified," said Naminé, "they forgot everything that they did that involved The Sign."

"They said that The Sign was meant to seal something away," said Tess, "they said something about a prime seal, to keep _it _contained."

"What the hell is it, anyway?" Aiden asked.

"I don't know," said Malcolm, "and I don't want to know. When the people who created Hogwarts tell you to stop, you stop, it just makes sense that way."

"The Four Founders said that we could stop," said Roxas, "but they also told us the next clue."

"The Heart of Hogwarts," said Nathanial.

"I'm already working on it," said Ashley.

"Don't!" said Malcolm.

"What does it take for you all to get it?" Riku asked, "we have to stop now before we unleash something terrible."

"This has to be what those masked wizards were so afraid of," said Naminé, "something so terrible that The Four Founders had to seal it away and then erase their memories of it."

"That's still no reason to give up!" said Tess.

"It's every reason to give up!" said Malcolm.

"No it isn't!" snapped Tess.

"Yes it is!" Naminé.

"No!" said Roxas.

"Yes!" said Riku. He, Naminé and Malcolm stood on one side, glaring at Aiden, Tess and Roxas, whom was glaring back at them.

"Hey, take it easy," said Sora as he held up his hands in a placating manner, "we shouldn't fight over this."

"I hate to sound negative, Sora," said Tara, "but your friends seem to think otherwise."

"Oh for crying out loud!" said J.D., "you kids are behaving like that, kids!"

"I don't think putting them down is going to help, J.D.," said Ashley.

"They want to argue around in circles, that's fine by me," said J.D., "the rest of us are going to keep going."

"We've come too far to give up now," said Alison. At that her fellow Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs nodded in agreement.

"Wait, maybe we should step back and thing for a moment," said Ryo, "maybe we should pay heed to the warnings of The Four Founders."

"We should show prudence," said Cass, "rushing into this blindly could get us all killed, or worse."

"How bad could it be?" Matthew asked.

"Bad enough that it scared the pants off of The Four Founders," said Cordelia.

"Professor Connor?" Tara asked, "what do you think? Me, I'm all for going ahead, although a little caution would be in our best interests."

"My thoughts exactly," said Cho, "we should continue, as long as we keep our heads about us," she then smiled, "but I admit, if we do stop, this will most likely haunt me for the rest of my life."

"Exactly," said Tess, "how can we give now after coming so far?"

"We'd regret it forever if we stop," said Roxas.

"Or go completely insane with curiosity," said Tess.

"But remember, 'curiosity killed the cat,'" said Riku.

"'But satisfaction brought him back,'" said Malcolm, "yes, I admit, I want to know what The Sigh is keeping locked up."

"Me too," said Naminé, "not enough to risk the world, but yes, I want to know."

"Sora, what say you?" J.D. asked, "you are the leader of your friends, so what do you think we should do?" At that everyone looked at Sora, whom found himself at a loss for words.

On the one hand he was very eager to figure out the mystery of The Sign, to find out what had scared the masked wizards so badly to want them to murder him and his friends. On the other hand, the secret was something that frightened Godric Griffindor and the other Founders, four legendary witches and wizards whom embodied the values of courage, wisdom, hard work and cunning.

What could possibly frighten four such extraordinary individuals.

"Well, Sora?" Riku asked, "what's it going to be?"

"Go forward or go back?" Roxas asked.

"Why do these big decisions keep landing on my shoulders?" Sora exasperately asked.

"Because you happen to be in the middle of so much," said Ashley, "it's a mixture of chance and destiny that you get to make these decisions."

"And what a decision it is," said Sora, "everyone has a good point. If we go forward, we could risk everything and destroy a world. If we stop, we'd give up on solving a thousand-year mystery and it'll haunt us for ever."

"Oh, and don't forget that Regina and her ilk are still out for our blood," said Malcolm.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot about them," said Sora. "They must want to know about The Sign as much as we do, maybe more." He then sighed, "alright, if not for us, then for everyone else and the world itself, we've got to solve the mystery of The Sign, we've got to see this through to the end, if only to keep the secret away from Regina and the other villains."

"Oh, man, Sora," said Riku, "you just had to make that point."

"Getting to the heart of the problem before the enemy does," said Malcolm, "makes sense to me."

"And me," said Naminé.

"Finally, we're in agreement," said Tess.

"But we've got to move fast," said Ashley, "we're running out of time. By my updated calculations, we've got less than two and a half hours before Olivia runs out of energy and the enemy can march right in."

"Don't count Professor McGonagall and the others out just yet," said Cho, "they'll have a few new surprises waiting for the enemy."

"Then we've got to figure out where to go next," said Sora, "The Four Founders gave us the next clue, so let's solve it."

"The Heart of Hogwarts," said Tara, "the center of the castle?"

"There's nothing extraordinary on the middle floors of the castle," said Ashley as she looked at the 3D map of Hogwarts, "just classrooms, classrooms and more classrooms."

"Boy, when the Four Founders really try to stump you, they do it," said Lancaster.

* * *

**…The Enemy Camp…**

"We have twelve demon cannons running and still that shield won't come down!" snapped Lady Tremaine to Regina.

"What kind of mutant brat is powerful enough to endure that much demonic energy?" Dio Brando asked.

"A really powerful psychic," said Regina, "I admit, I've underestimated the evolved humans of this world. It's a pity."

"A pity?" Gaston asked.

"That I cannot capture one of them and perform some experiments," said Regina, "I know the science of evolution, I know that humans were once apes, yet it confounds me that such simple mortals are capable of such extraordinary feats, not just the ones with mental powers."

"That Max Killdare," said Gaston irately, "he's a tough nut to crack."

"He sure did a number on you," said Dio Brando.

"And that girl with the saber," said Lady Tremaine as ahe felt where she was stabbed by Jill, "she's no mere mortal either."

"And that bespectacled man with the oversized pistol." said Sephiroth, "what secrets does he hide in that mind of his?"

"Those masked wizards knew a lot about those people," said Dio Brando. He then grinned viciously at Regina, "I'll bet you're sorry you scared them off."

"I regret nothing!" snapped Regina, "although I…miscalculated, their value."

"Perhaps next time you would be wise enough to not antagonize any local allies we make," said Lady Tremaine.

"I'll keep it in mind," said Regina, "but what's done is done. Now," she glared at the shield surrounding Hogwarts, "how do we bring that down faster?"

"Hey, I've got an idea," said Dio Brando sarcastically, "why not we get a really big hammer and just break the shield?"

"And where are we going to find a hammer big enough?" Gaston asked.

"That's actually a deceit idea," said Regina as she smiled wickedly.

"What, a big hammer?" Dio Brando asked, "I was joking."

"But your joke has inspired me," said Regina in a thoughtful manner, "an enormous hammer, or rather, a creature equivalent to an enormous hammer, capable of smashing through that shield in one strike."

"You have such a creature in mind?" Sephiroth asked.

"I have a few ideas," said Regina as she smiled wickedly, "yes…yes, that demon will do nicely."

"What demon?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"A beast from the depths of hell," said Regina, "a thing so vile and repulsive, not even Satan wants it."

"And you can command the thing?" Dio Brando asked.

"Far be it from me to discourage any act of wickedness," said Sephiroth, "but is summoning such a creature wise?"

"What's stopping such a thing from turning on us?" Gaston asked.

"It won't harm us," said Regina, "because I will it, or rather, I shall will it once I complete the summoning ritual." She then looked at her fellow villains, "before any of you ask, I need not assistance from any of you. You just maintain your control over the cannon demons. All I need is time to prepare for the summoning."

"And how long will that take?" Dio Brando asked.

"At least twenty minutes," said Regina, "maybe more, maybe less. I've never done this before."

"What!?" exclaimed Lady Tremaine.

"I meant to say that I've never summoned anything this big," said Regina, "I'm not entirely sure how much energy is needed to call it forth from the depths of hell, or how much I'll need to control the creature."

"Then by all means," said Sephiroth, "take as much time as you need."

"The Darkness knows that we won't want it turning on us," said Lady Tremaine.

"Just don't screw up," said Dio Brando.

"The thought never crossed my mind," said Regina. She then sat down in a meditative posture and closed her eyes.

Dio Brando waved his hand in front of Regina's face, yet failed to get a reaction from her, "She's dead to the world."

"How long do you think she'll be like that?" Gaston asked.

"Who knows?" Sephiroth asked. "But if the creature she is attempting to summon is what I think it is, then she will need all the preparation she can get."

"Well," said Dio Brando as he pulled out a permanent marker, "I'm not one to waste a golden opportunity," he then took the cap off of the marker and leaned down to doodle on Regina's face.

But just before the marker touched Regina, an energy barrier flashed and forced Dio Brando back onto his backside. He shook his head in a disoriented manner, "what happened?" he asked.

"It would seem that our friend has taken precautions against such a prank," said Sephiroth as he smiled, while Lady Tremaine and Gaston could barely contain their laughter.

"What?" Dio Brando asked, unaware that a wide variety of doodles had appeared on his face, "what?" He was also unaware that Regina was displaying the slightest of smiles.

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion…**

"I know of this demon that Regina seeks to summon," said Maleficent, "it is…an impressive specimen. If she can control it, then it will eradicate Hogwarts from the face of that world."

"And if she cannot?" Xehanort asked, "if the creature is untamable?"

"Then Regina and the others will die," said Maleficent, "but so will Hogwarts and every other living being on that world. This creature has many names, but one that is known by many is 'The Devourer of Worlds.'"

"Interesting," said Xehanort, "very interesting. I say we sit back and enjoy as things unfold."

"Which is what we have been doing," said Maleficent, "yet, I see no reason why we should not continue."

"Can I get up now?" Insano asked, "I'm starting to feel a little sore."

"You shall stay on the floor until I say otherwise!" snapped Maleficent, "you are being punished for you incompetence!"

"Think of it this way," said Xehanort, "you'll never make the same mistake twice."

"Lucky me," muttered Insano.

* * *

**…Hogsmeade…**

"Twenty more Aurors and thirty five Bureau Agents," said Max, "plus an additional six Meta Humans."

"I think we've got a good chance of finishing the enemy," said Harry, "after we have come up with a plan."

"I've got a few ideas," said John, "a triple pincer move? Or maybe a quadruple move? They can't block us from everywhere."

"But they have set up some rather ingenious defenses," said Hermione, "repellant charms, anti-intruder wards, death traps both mechanical and magical all around, enough to hold off an army."

"Then we'll just have to be the army that breaks those defenses," said Max as he reloaded his revolver, "I know I've said this before, maybe I'm starting to get old, but I am sick and tired of sic, twisted, demented people with evil in their hearts who think that they can push people around, that they can get away with murder, that they can be evil without facing the music."

"You got that right," said Harry in a vindictive tone.

Just then everyone heard a bloodcurdling scream. Harry and Max saw Rebecca fall to her knees, hold her head as her eyes went wide with terror, "It's coming!" she shouted in a horrified tone, "it's coming!" she then fell over as she screamed again.

"Rebecca!" shouted John as he ran over and held her.

"What's wrong with her?" Draco asked, "having a nervous break down or something?"

"Shove it, Malfoy!" snapped Ginny as she, Hermione, Ron, Harry, Max and Aaron ran over. Aaron took out a scanning device and ran it over Rebecca's head.

"It's her empathic power," said Aaron, "she's sensing something…terrible."

"What could have happened in the past at Hogwarts that scares her so badly?" Ron asked.

"It's not the past," said John, "she sometimes senses things that are happening in the here and now."

"It's coming!" Rebecca shouted again, "it's coming!"

"What's coming?" Hermione asked, "Rebecca, what do you see!"

"The Devourer!" said Rebecca, "the creature from the deepest depths of hell, the beast who swallows good and leaves nothing but death and destruction in its wake! It's coming!" she then screamed again.

"The Devourer?" Harry asked.

"Must be a demon," said Max, "but it's not one I've heard of."

"Not many know of The Devourer of Worlds," said a man, about 29, standing at 5'10" with short, brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a orange and green shirt under his BPRD jacket, as well as blue jeans with brown boots. He was carrying a small leather briefcase. This was Shawn Ohmsford.

With him was a woman of 28 years with long brown hair tied back with a ribbon, wore a blue and white blouse and skirt and shoes that accompanied her BPRD jacket. She was carrying a small toolkit. This was Violet Baudelaire.

"What are you two doing here?" Aaron asked.

"And are you suicidal?" Max asked. He then walked up to Shawn and Violet, "considering what you did, the last place is to be within ten miles of Andrew and Jill."

"Oh for crying out loud, Max," said Violet, "it's not that big a deal."

"Not that big a deal?" Max asked, "you two are going to have a baby! And you're getting married!"

"So?" Shawn asked, "we were talking about getting married for years, but we kept putting it off."

"Having a child really puts things into perspective," said Violet as she placed her hand on her midsection, which had yet to reveal a baby bump, "so why not get married?"

"I never said you shouldn't get married," said Max, "I'm all for it. I've already picked out the perfect wedding gift, and no, I'm not spoiling things. My problem is that Andrew knows and he's pretty upset."

"He knows?" Violet asked, "but, we told Jill only yesterday."

"And she told Andrew as well," said Max.

"I thought he'd be happy that we're going to be parents, and married," said Violet.

"Is he upset that this was an accident?" Shawn, "it was an accident of love!"

"Can we talk about this later?" Harry asked. He then looked at Shawn, "you said you know what this Devourer is, so what is it?"

"Oh, right, that," said Shawn. He then opened his briefcase and took out a multi-page printout, "The Devourer of Worlds, quite possibly, the biggest, ugliest, nastiest, most powerful demon to ever exist. Even Satan is afraid of this thing." He then handed the pages to Max, while Harry and the others clustered around him to read as well.

"This thing is basically a trans-dimensional parasite," said Violet, "ages ago, it went from one world to another, sucking out all the energy of every living thing on that world. When it was finished, it traveled to another, leaving behind a lifeless husk that was once a world full of life, beauty and goodness."

"Bloody Hell!" exclaimed Ron, "and that vicious witch is trying to summon it?"

"That's what I saw in a premonition," said Shawn, "two premonitions actually. In the first, I saw The Devourer rise up from its hellish prison to destroy our world, the other sees us disrupting the ritual and keeping the creature locked up."

"Dual, conflicting prophecies," said Hermione, "there are rare moments when I regret dropping Divination."

"Then let's chose the correct path forward," said Max, "here's the plan!" He then looked at Draco, "and you'll be part of it too."

"I beg your pardon?" Draco asked, "if you think that I am going to join you on a suicide mission, you are sincerely mistaken."

"No one said anything about suicide," said Max, "if you die, you can sue me from the other side."

"It is possible for ghosts to file legal claims against the living, Malfoy," said Hermione.

"Assuming you choose to remain in the physical realm instead of moving on," said Ginny.

"You can hang out with The Bloody Barron and Nearly-Headless Nick," said Ron.

"I'd rather stay alive, thank you very much," said Draco.

"You will live," said Leon Smyth-Falcon as he walked towards Max, Harry and the others, looking no worse for wear.

"You're looking much better," said Max.

"Good thing our doctors and wizard healers decided to collaborate," said Leon, "so, when do we attack?"

"You're not attacking," said Aaron, "last time you tried to sneak up on the enemy, you got clobbered. A few more damaged cells and I would have had to amputate your foot."

"For which I'm eternally grateful that you didn't," said Leon, "but you won't have to treat me again so soon, doc. I messed up last time, but now I'm ready to kick those bastards off of the world," he then looked at Max, "so, when do we attack?"

"As soon as we get everyone into position," said Max, he then glared at Draco, "and you are participating in this."

"I am not," said Draco as he stubbornly crossed his arms.

"You will," said Violet, "and for a very good reason."

Draco then walked right up to Violet and glared at her, his gray eyes locking onto her brown eyes, as if daring her to blink first, "and what reason would that be?" he asked, stopping his words before he could add a more insulting punctuation.

"Your son," said Violet as she confidently crossed her arms. At that Draco looked as if he had just been slapped in the face, and the hand that slapped him was named 'Reason.'

"Your son is right in the middle of this, Draco," said Harry, "as are my sons,"

"And our daughter," said Hermione, while Ron nodded in agreement.

"Olivia's shield can't last much longer," said Aaron, "if a dozen demon cannons can bring it down, then how long do you think it will last against a demon capable of wiping out all life on a world?"

"If we fail, your son and everyone else in Hogwarts won't stand a chance," said Max, "I'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, but we can use your help."

"Well," said Draco, "It seems that I will be participating in this suicide mission after all. Heaven knows that you'll need all the help you can get."

"Why that arrogant git," muttered Ron, but Hermione placed a restraining hand on his shoulder, as if telling him it wasn't worth it.

"So, when do we all leap into the jaws of death?" Draco asked.

"I have to explain the plan first," said Max, "which is as follows."

* * *

**…Hogwarts…The Great Hall…**

Sora and the others had relocated back to the main dining area in order to better think over the latest clue, as well as be ready for lunch.

"I hope Andrew's BBQ is as good as he says it is," said Tess, "I'm starving."

"It'll be ready when it's ready," said Neville, whom along with Angelina and Jessie, had joined Cho with the others, "one thing I've learned about Andrew is that he never rushes in the kitchen."

"And if you try to make him rush," said Angelina, "he'll make you regret it."

"How?" Tess asked cautiously.

"Trust me," said Jessie, "you don't want to know."

"But the strange thing," said Neville, "is that Andrew is quite possibly the fastest cook in the world. If you saw him at work in the kitchen, you'd see a living miracle."

"Those hands of his must have been sent from heaven," said Angelina, "they're so fast, especially when cutting vegetables."

"It's even funnier that he can barely handle a combat knife," said Neville, "that's Jill's department."

Just then J.D., whom had been taking a quick walk outside, hurried into the Great Hall, "I hope to God that I'm the only one who senses what I'm sensing. If I am, it means I'm just being paranoid."

"What are you talking about?" Sora asked.

"Can't you feel it?" J.D. asked in an anxious tone, "that sense of oncoming dread at the back of your mind?"

Sora then paused to think and realized that he was feeling anxious, as if sensing that something terrible, some great unknown evil, was approaching. By the look on the faces of Riku, Tess, Malcolm, Roxas, Naminé, as well as Tara and most of the other witches and wizards in the room, they were sensing it as well.

"What is this horrible thing that's coming?" Angelina asked.

Just then Jill ran into the room, "It's Regina!" she shouted, "She's trying to summon a powerful demon, one that's scaring the pants off of Rebecca!"

"Nothing scares Rebecca," said Neville.

"Well this thing does," said Jill, "I just relayed what I saw over to Max and Harry and they relayed to me that what Regina is summoning is called The Devourer of Worlds, some big, ugly, strong and ancient demon that can wipe out all life on the planet."

"It can't be that bad, right?" Tess asked, "I mean, we faced down Chernabog and forced him back."

"It was The Rainbow of Light that turned back Chernabog," said Riku, "but I agree, this demon can't be so bad, right?"

"According to what I heard from Max and the others," said Jill, "even Satan is afraid of The Devourer of Worlds."

"Okay, we're in trouble," said Riku, "if the devil is afraid of this thing, then we're screwed."

"We're only screwed if we give up," said Sora as he and the others got to their feet, "so, what do we do?"

"Nothing," said Andrew as he walked into the room, a heavy smell of BBQ sauce about his form, with Aiden right behind him, "we're still stuck inside Olivia's shield. We're going to have to leave things up to Harry and Max, and speaking of which," he then looked at Jill, "who's watching the enemy and talking to Hogsmeade?"

"Albus and his friends," said Jill, "They're keeping an eye on the enemy camp, while Rose and James, whom seem to have made a complete recovery, are helping. Did you know that Rose speaks Farsi? When did she learn that?"

"Last I heard," said Neville, "she knows seventeen languages, including French, Spanish, Italian, German, Polish, Russian, Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Arabic, Japanese, Korean and Mandarin, but hasn't had time to learn Cantonese."

"Well, the younglings seem to have the situation under control up at the Astronomy Tower," said Jill, "and they'll send someone running to let us know if anything changes outside."

"Leave the demon to Harry and Max," said Andrew, "they'll stop it."

"We've stopped demon summoning before," said Jill, "most of the time without any loss of innocent life," she then looked at Andrew, "oh, Violet and Shawn are in Hogsmeade. They know that you know."

At that Andrew went through a range of emotions, ranging from anger to anxiety to happiness. He then calmed down a bit, "I'll worry about them when we're all safe. Right now," he then looked at his watch, "if my calculations are correct and if the kitchen House Elves are as reliable as I've been told…" he held up his index finger as if readying a signal, "…lunch is served!"

All of a sudden all the House tables and benches vanished, replaced by the buffet tables that were now loaded with BBQ dishes; pork and beef ribs smothered in sauce and herbs, pulled pork and brisket, whole chicken and pieces, as well as half a dozen side dishes; corn bread, baked beans, coleslaw, fried rice, applesauce and potato salad. Also there were dozens of bottles of extra BBQ sauce.

"Andrew, you've outdone yourself yet again!" said a delighted Jill as everyone in The Great Hall, as well as many more students drawn by the mouthwatering scents, helped themselves to the impromptu feast.

"BBQ at Hogwarts," said Ryo as he loaded his plate with dry-rub pork ribs and coleslaw, "only in the 21st century."

"This is exactly what we need," said Tara as she loaded her plate with brisket, chicken wings and potato salad.

"The right distraction for the right situation," said Ashley as she helped herself to beef ribs and baked beans.

Sora and the others loaded their plates with a little bit of everything. None of them could decide which of the main dishes and side dishes they liked best.

"All I can say is…" said Malcolm after taking a bite of pulled pork, but then le let out a massive belch.

"Have another one," said Andrew as he filled his plate.

"Well, I must say that this is highly irregular," said Professor McGonagall, "but, well worth the effort, Mr. Carpenter. You have my thanks for this."

"Any time, Minerva," said Andrew.

"How was cooking class?" Sora asked Aiden.

"I'm still learning," said Aiden after finishing one beef rib and pouring more BBQ sauce on another, "but Andrew says that anyone can cook if they try. Not counting Akane Tendo that is. So, what'd you all do while I was in the kitchen?"

Sora and the others then told Aiden about the message from the past.

"You actually heard from four of this world's greatest magic users?" Aiden asked as he accidentally spilled BBQ sauce on the floor, "and I missed it! How do you like that?"

"Hey, you asked to go with Andrew," said Tess in between mouthfuls of cornbread. "You know, this is the best damn cornbread I've ever had."

"I saw Andrew bake it," said Aiden as he took a piece of cornbread himself, "he used real corn in the mixture."

"It makes it that much more special," said Andrew.

Just then J.D. smiled, "you think things are good now, they're about to get a lot better."

"How?" Sora asked.

"Let's just say that a lot of our friends are about to get serious," said J.D.

* * *

**…The Enemy Camp…**

"How much longer is she going to be?" Gaston asked in a bored tone as he glared irately at the still meditating Regina. Sephiroth and Dio Brando were playing Triple Triad again, while Lady Regina was filing her nails.

"She'll be finished when she's finished," said an annoyed Dio Brando, whose face was still stained with doodles.

"All we can do is wait," said Sephiroth.

"I don't like waiting," said Gaston, "I'm a man of action! I need to do something! I need to destroy something!"

"And I need to torment people!" said Lady Tremaine as she irately ground her teeth, "but complaining about it isn't going to speed up the summoning!"

Just then Leon ran into the area, "Then stop doing it," he said in a nonchalant tone, "if you're bored with something, then why do it?"

"Because the ends justify the means," said Dio Brando as he flipped one of Sephiroth's cards. He then blinked in surprise and glared at Leon, "wait, who the hell are you?!"

"Oh, I do apologize," said Leon in a tone that expressed friendship and diplomacy, "the last time I tried to get close, I was rudely forced away. But I'm here now, but I might as well introduce myself; Leon Smyth-Falcon of New Orleans," he then bowed with an elaborate hand flourish, "at your service."

"Okay, nice to meet you," said Dio Brando, Sephiroth, Gaston and Lady Tremaine stood up and walked towards Leon, "now, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I just wanted a good look at ya'll," said Leon, "you see, villains are a bit of a hobby of mine, so I'm here to get to know you interesting people."

"Well, you've found us," said Sephiroth as he drew Masamune.

"Now hang on there," said Leon as he held up his hands in a placating manner, "I didn't come here to pick a fight, just talk."

"Then make your words count, stranger," said Gaston as he cracked his knuckles, "they may be your last."

"You can smash him to atoms when I am finished with him," said Lady Tremaine, "after I've reduced him into a hopeless mass of quivering jelly!"

"Aren't you curious as to how I got inside your defenses?" Leon asked.

"It crossed my mind," said Sephiroth, "but if you hope to buy time, you are mistaken. You will die."

"That remains to be decided," said Leon, "now, you may think you've gotten yourselves all comfortably secured here, what with all your wards and trap spells and whatnot."

"Yes, you have infiltrated our camp," said Lady Tremaine.

"How'd you do it, kido?" Dio Brando asked.

"It was easy for me to run around the traps and wards," said Leon, "once I knew what to look for."

"And how did you know what to look for?" Sephiroth asked.

Just then Harry and Max walked into the area, "because we told him what to look for," said Harry.

"You did a good job with your defenses," said Max, "but we've had plenty of practice in smashing enemy walls!"

"You two are either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid," said Sephiroth as he raised Masamune, but then frowned in concern, "I seem to be unable to move," he said.

"I can't move either!" snapped Dio Brando as he found himself completely immobilized, "what's going on!?"

"It's as if we're glued to the spot!" exclaimed Gaston as he and Lady Tremaine tried to move, but couldn't, "and then some!"

"What is this magic!?" Lady Tremaine shouted.

"Not magic," said Max, "Meta Human!"

"One of the mutants is projecting an inhibiting field," said Sephiroth, "preventing us from moving, I should have known," he then glared at Max, "I congratulate you on your efforts, but it will be all for naught. This field won't hold us forever."

"Just long enough to take out this one," said Leon as he pulled out a pistol from a hidden pocket and aimed it at Regina.

At that Lady Tremaine laughed cruelly, "you can't be serious!" she said, "you're no assassin."

"You'd be surprised at what I've done over the past twenty years," said Leon, "I may be on the side of Light, but that's no reason for me to allow The Devourer to waltz into this world."

"So you're going to shoot a helpless woman in the head?" Dio Brando asked.

"Whatever it takes to protect my world," said Leon, "I figured that I'd do what has to be done and let God settle things with me when the time comes."

Just then Regina opened her eyes and smiled viciously at Leon, Harry and Max, "you're too late, gentlemen," she then stood up, "The Devourer comes!"

"No!" shouted Rebecca as she, John, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Draco, Aaron, Violet, Shawn and several more wizards and Bureau agents, ran into the area, "you've got to stop it! The Devourer will destroy us all!"

"That's the idea!" said Regina, "this entire world shall be consumed by The Devourer! Only myself and my companions shall be spared from the voracious hunger of the creature."

"And just how are you going to ensure our safety?" Sephiroth asked.

"Yeah, what's to stop this demon from eating us?" Dio Brando asked irately, while Gaston and Lady Tremaine looked equally ticked.

"We will be protected," said Regina, "with an amulet that I picked up in my youth. It took me decades to determine it's magical properties. The amulet, once charged with a specific spell, which I've already done, the wearer and up to half a dozen others, will be shielded from the hunger of The Devourer!" she then reached into her robe pocket. But then she frowned as she reached deeper, only to pull her hand out empty. She then franticly searched her other pockets, "no, it cannot be! I remembered putting the amulet in my pocket before we left Castle Oblivion!"

"Maybe you're memory's starting to go," said Dio Brando.

"Senility is a possible affliction that strikes with old age," said Lady Tremaine.

"I am not going senile!" snapped Regina, a look of frantic horror on her face, "I put the damn thing in my pocket! I did!"

"Tell me," said Leon as he pulled a small black stone carved with silver runes set into a silver chain, "is this it?" he then tossed the amulet to Max.

"How did…!? When did…!?" Regina shouted.

"You're looking at the formerly greatest pickpocket in The Big Easy," said Leon, "nice to know that my skills haven't waned in my old age."

"You're not that old," said Ginny.

"I feel old sometimes," said Leon, he then smiled happily, "but I'm not one to cast aside the joys of youth so easily."

"Who does?" Ginny retorted.

"Looks like a protective amulet to me," said Harry as he, Hermione and Draco looked at the stone set into the silver chain.

"Not the kind that's commonly sold in Diagon Alley," said Draco, "or in Knockturn Alley, but it's functional."

"Give that back!" snapped Regina,, her eyes wide with terror and anger, "that stone is the only thing that can protect anyone from The Devourer, and only I know how to use it!"

"In that case," said Max, whom then proceeded to crush it into powder with his bare hands, "there," he said as he brushed dust from the stone from his hands, "now we're all damned to be eaten by the creature."

"You fool!" exclaimed Regina, "you've doomed us all!"

"That's what I just said," remarked Max, "now, unless you're interested in exploring the inside of a world-consuming demon, be so kind as to cancel the summoning."

"I can't," said Regina as she crossed her arms.

"Can't?" Ron asked suspiciously, "or won't?"

"I simply don't know how," said Regina.

"How can you not know how to stop the summoning!?" exclaimed Gaston.

"I just don't!" Regina said stubbornly. She then glared at Leon, then at Max, then at Harry, "and even if I did, I wouldn't tell any of you!"

Just then a small, dark purple light, about the size of a marble appeared above them, "that's the portal in which The Devourer shall arrive from!" exclaimed Rebecca, "we've got to stop it, now!" Within the few seconds that it took Rebecca to speak, the portal light grew to the size of a basketball and was growing larger by the second.

"It'll finish opening before we can figure out how to stop it," said Hermione.

"Then it looks as if we've got a fight on our hands," said Max, "everyone, get ready!"

"Your efforts will be in vain," said Regina in a neutral tone, "nothing can stop The Devourer once it has been unleashed, nothing."

"We can still try!" said Harry.

Just then the masked wizards Apparated into the area, "you will fail," said the raven-masked wizard, "you cannot destroy this creature, Harry Potter."

"Well, look who decided to come crawling back," said Dio Brando irately.

"Don't try to push my buttons, alien!" snapped the raven-masked wizard as he gripped his polished stones, "I'm not in the mood," he then walked up to Harry and Max, "I know we have our differences."

"You're not kidding," said Max.

"You threatened the lives of my sons and friends," said Harry, "you tried to destroy Hogwarts."

"My comrades and I never intended to harm Hogwarts," said the raven-masked wizard, "look, we can talk about who's at fault later." he then pointed at the portal, which was now larger than a beach ball, "right now, we need to stop that thing from eating this world alive."

"Why should we trust you?" John asked.

"Because we know how to stop the summoning," said the rhino-masked wizard.

"Impossible!" exclaimed Regina as the portal expanded to ten feet in diameter.

"Not impossible," said one of the masked wizards, one with an iguana mask, "just highly improbable."

"We'll close the portal and prevent The Devourer from entering the world," said the raven-masked wizard, "but you have to promise to hear us out."

"Why?" Harry asked angrily, "so you can try and convince me to let you murder innocent children!?"

"There won't be any children or anyone left on the world if we don't stop the summoning!" exclaimed the raven-masked wizard, "look, you have my word that we won't kill Sora and his friends. We'll find another way to protect The Sign, but we have to do this first and it has to be done now!"

"Your word doesn't carry much weight right now," said Leon.

"No, he's telling the truth," said John, "I can…hear his thoughts."

"You know Legimitancy?" Harry asked.

"Somewhat," said John, "only enough to tell if someone is lying," he then looked at the raven-masked wizard, "which he isn't."

"We don't have time for this, damn it!" snapped the shark-masked wizard, "the portal's almost three-hundred feet wide! When it gets to one thousand, The Devourer will come."

"That's a big demon," said Leon.

"I'd rather not fight a thousand-foot demon, thank you very much," said Ron.

"It's your choice," said the raven-masked wizard to Harry and Max, "either you accept our help, or we all die."

"How can you possibly trust this man?" Regina asked Harry and Max, "he and his comrades betrayed my group not too long ago, they will betray you at the drop of a hat."

"He is sincere," said John, "damn it, Harry! Accept his help!"

Harry then glared at the raven-masked wizard, "why are you now being reasonable?"

"My comrades and I have our reasons," said the raven-masked wizard, "look, we can discuss what made my comrades and I change our minds, or we can stop The Devourer from coming!"

"Harry!" insisted John.

"Do it!" said Harry to the raven-masked wizard.

The raven-masked wizard then pulled out a crystal sphere full of white smoke. He then tapped it with his wand and spoke a spell, then threw it at the portal. It exploded on contact with a white flash and the portal stopped expanding at five-hundred and five feet.

"It's okay now," said the raven-masked wizard, "it'll begin closing up again." Indeed, the portal began to shrink.

"You meddling, turncoat bastard!" snapped Regina, "just who's side are you on!?"

"I am on the side of this world," said the raven-masked wizard, "as are my comrades. We swore our lives to keeping this world safe from a specific threat, but we cannot simply stand by while an even greater evil is unleashed."

"You will regret this," said Regina as she glared daggers at the masked wizards, "yes, you will regret this."

"Uh, people?" Ron asked hesitantly as he looked up at the portal, "is it me, or has it stopped shrinking?"

Indeed, the portal had ceased its contraction, stabilizing at sixty-feet in diameter. There was nothing but blackness on the other side of the portal, but then it was filled with an enormous red eye that radiated pure malice and greed.

"It's her!" exclaimed Rebecca as she fell to her knees in terror, "The Devourer! She's in my mind!"

"Stop it, Vivian!" shouted John, "leave her alone!"

"She?" Dio Brando asked, "The Devourer is a girl demon?"

"The Devourer is named Vivian?" Leon asked.

"How'd you know the demon is a girl and is named Vivian?" Harry asked John.

"I don't know," said John as he looked up at the red eye in the portal, glaring at the thing with utter hate in his own eyes, "instincts, I guess."

Just then a deep, rumbling, yet unmistakably female, voice, emanated from the portal, _**"Oh, it's more than instincts, little wizard,"**_ said the demonic voice, _**"your heart remembers me from long ago, when you were more than just a mortal magic user, when you were a living god."**_

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Ron asked, "just who are you?"

"She's a giant demon with eyes sixty feet wide," said Draco dryly, "obviously."

"_**I am she whom is cursed with eternal hunger,"**_ said the demon, Vivian, _**"I am the consumer of life and innocence, I am she whom has been cast into the depths of darkness. I am she whom even The Morning Star denied. I am Vivian Darkvoid, The Devourer of Worlds!"**_

"I don't give a damn who you are!" shouted John, "you're hurting Rebecca, so leave her alone!"

"_**It is fitting she should suffer," **_said Vivian, _**"since she was the one whom cast me into darkness, isn't that right, Aleria Brightmoon?"**_

"Make her go away, John!" shouted Rebecca, "she's tearing my mind apart!"

"Stop it!" shouted Harry at the red eye.

"_**And deny myself the first real pleasure I've had in over nine-thousand years?"**_ Vivian asked, _**"I think not. And don't even try to stop me, Harry Potter, yes I know who you are. You were lucky to have survived your multiple encounters with Voldemort. But know that if you contend with me, your luck shall run out."**_

"You have no business here, demon!" shouted the raven-masked wizard, "depart to your hellish prison!"

"_**In due time, Tobias Beachwood," **_said Vivian.

"Tobias Beachwood?" Hermione asked.

"Later," said the raven-masked wizard.

"I'm not going to say it again!" John shouted at Vivian, "go away already!"

"_**I shall leave when I wish, Otheon Starseeker,"**_ said Vivian, _**"my return to the living realms may have been prevented, this time, but I wish to enjoy this brief respite from my torment as much as I can. I wish to feed on the fear of the reincarnated soul whom imprisoned me nine millennium ago, and you, her reincarnated lover, shall also suffer from seeing her suffering, and I shall feed on your suffering as well."**_

"A demon after my own black heart," said Lady Tremaine.

"_**Thank you," **_said Viivan, _**"I'll still eat you when I get the chance, but I thank you for the compliment."**_

"Oh for crying out loud!" snapped Max, "this has gone on for too long." He then glared at the eye of Vivian, "you've had your fun, now get lost!"

"_**Do not trifle with me, little mutant,"**_ said Vivian, _**"your kind is no threat to a being of my power. You and your fellow freaks aren't even supposed to exist!"**_

"But we're here," said Max, "so we might as well make the most of it!" he then drew his revolver and fired at the giant eye. The bullet hit the eye but didn't even scratch it.

"_**It seems that I have worn out my welcome," **_said Vivian, _**"so be it. Until our next encounter." **_With that the eye left the portal, which closed up within seconds.

"She's gone," said Rebecca as she stood up, a relieved look on her face, "The Devourer is gone."

"Well, that was an interesting distraction," said Sephiroth, "but I feel that we should get back to business."

"Oh, really?" Harry asked. He then raised his wand and shot up a series of red sparks. This was a signal that dozens of wizards and Bureau agents had been waiting for. Within seconds, Regina and her fellow villains were completely surrounded.

"The way I see it," said Harry to Regina, "you have three choices; run, fight or surrender."

"Do you really need to ask?" Dio Brando asked as he pulled out a knife, while Gaston cracked his knuckles.

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion…**

"If they continue with this course," said Xehanort as he and Maleficent watched their subordinates prepare to fight the wizards and Bureau agents, "no doubt that they will be destroyed. Yes, they will destroy many of those foolish heroes, but they will die."

"As much as I would enjoy seeing many heroes fall," said Maleficent, "as well as seeing Regina and the others suffer for their stupidity, but they are still valuable resources."

"Then you'd better get them back," said Doctor Insano, "before they're wiped out."

"Indeed," said Maleficent irately. "And you're still being punished, so be quiet!"

"You might need me for what is to come," said Insano, "so let me up already!"

"I think he's learned his lesson," said Xehanort.

"Very well," said Maleficent. She then glared at Insano, "but know this, madman! If you ever display such incompetence again, this 'mild admonishment' will seem like a walk in the park compared to what I shall do to you." With that she released the spell on the lunatic.

Insano stood up and brushed some dust off of his lab coat. He glared at Maleficent before sitting down again.

* * *

**…The Enemy Camp…**

All of a sudden, everyone heard Maleficent's voice, _"Regina! Withdraw at once!"_

"Excuse me?" Regina asked, "did I hear you right?"

"_Your hearing is impeccable," _said Maleficent, _"withdraw from the field, now!"_

"What are you playing at, Maleficent?" Harry asked, "another trick?"

"_I merely wish to preserve five valuable, albeit somewhat incompetent, resources,"_ said Maleficent.

"Xehanort!" shouted Sephiroth, "is this true? Are we to retreat?"

"_As much as I would enjoy seeing you all tear yourselves to pieces," _said Xehanort, _"I must concur with my lovely, wicked comrade. Withdraw at once."_

"Are you kidding me!?" Dio Brando asked in an outraged tone, "we haven't even started to get serious!"

"I still need to destroy things!" shouted Gaston.

"And my need to inflict suffering has yet to be sated!" shouted Lady Tremaine!"

"_SILENCE!"_ shouted Maleficent. All of a sudden, both Regina and Lady Tremaine gasped, fell to their knees and clutched at their hearts, _"You will obey or I shall destroy you myself! Withdraw at once!"_

"Well, I will not obey!" said Gaston irately, "I came to this world to destroy, and I will destroy!"

Just then Insano's voice could be heard, _"you're being rather stubborn, Gaston."_

"Who the hell is that?" Aaron asked.

"A genuine psychopath," said Dio Brando. He then shouted to Xehanort, "I'll go back, old man, but because I feel like it."

"The same applies to me," said Sephiroth.

"Well, not me!" said Gaston. He then glared at Regina and the others, "you can go back to your masters like the dogs you are, but not me!"

"_Would you kindly not be so stubborn and come back already!?" _Insano shouted.

Gaston paused for a second, his eyes fully dilating for an instant but then returned to normal, "okay, let's go."

Regina and Lady Tremaine then gasped in relief and they stood up, "we'll leave as well," said Lady Tremaine.

"But not without leaving our mark on this world," said Regina. She then cast a spell on the twelve cannon demons, "they'll now explode once my comrades and I take our leave."

"I don't think so," said Violet. She then tossed three small objects to three wizards, "thanks to these, we can override your control on the creatures and make them go to sleep!"

The three wizards then tapped the objects with their wands, each object, a small gold disk inscribed with symbols and also had advanced circuitry, flashed with bright yellow light, then projected yellow beams of energy at the cannon demons, with each disk hitting four cannon demons.

In an instant, the twelve cannon demons stopped firing on Hogwarts and all let out deep, rumbling sighs of relief, while steam rose from their overheated bodies.

"Impossible!" exclaimed Regina, "how!? How did you do that!?"

"A fusion of magic and technology," said Violet, "the exact method of how it works would take far too long to explain, but it does work," she then smiled, "one of my more quirky inventions."

"And her regular inventions are unusual enough," said Shawn.

At that Regina looked like she was about to explode, "you!" she shouted at Violet, "you stole my demons!"

"Well, you stole them first," said Dio Brando.

"Shut up!" snapped Regina. She then glared again at Violet, "enjoy what little time you have, you filthy little mutant! Soon, very soon, I shall return and exact my revenge, on you and all of your loved ones!" She then glared at Harry, "and don't think I've forgotten about you, Potter! You're still on my revenge list!" She then glared at the masked wizards, "and you turncoats!"

"Can we go now?" Dio Brando asked, "I'm starting to get bored."

"And I'm in no mood to experience any more of Maleficent's tantrums," said Lady Tremaine.

"You'll all pay!" Regina shouted at Harry, Max and the other wizards and Bureau agents, "you'll all pay!" she then looked at Sephiroth and the other villains, "let's go." She then summoned a Dark corridor, which they all went through and it closed up after them.

"Well, that was rude of them," said the raven-masked wizard, "leaving with such an insulting goodbye." He then realized that he and his fellow masked wizards were now surrounded by Harry, Max and their fellow Ministry wizards and Bureau agents, with the witches and wizards aiming their wands at them, while the Bureau agents all had their various weapons pointed at them as well.

"Is this really necessary?" the raven-masked wizard asked.

"Yes," said Harry, "at least until we can trust you."

"I thought we had earned your trust when we prevented The Devourer from breaking into the world," said the raven-masked wizard.

"You're still on probation," said Hermione, "and is your name really Tobias Beachwood? I can't help but feel that I know that name from somewhere."

At that the raven-masked wizard looked as if he was battling a serious dilemma in his mind. After a few seconds, he sighed with acceptance and reached behind his head to take his mask off.

"Don't!" spat the shark-masked wizard as he placed his hand on his leader's shoulder, "you know what will happen if we reveal even an ounce of truth more than necessary."

"And what good has it done us by keeping our mouths shut?" the raven-masked wizard asked in a determined tone, "our group has been hiding in the shadows for a millennium, but maybe the time to come into the light is finally at hand." He then shoved his subordinate away and untied his mask, removing it from his face, causing his comrades to mutter with confusion and anger, but they did nothing to interfere.

He was old, roughly 80 or so but had the vigor of a man half his age, with short gray hair and piercing blue eyes, "you are correct, Hermione Weasley, my name is Tobias Beachwood."

"I want to say I'm pleased to meet you, Tobias Beachwood," said Hermione, "but you tried to kidnap my daughter."

"For which I regret with all my heart," said Tobias Beachwood.

"He's telling the truth," said John.

"Then tell me why you tried to kill my friends?" Harry asked.

"Uh, Harry?" Ron asked, "I think we have a bigger problem," he then pointed at Hogwarts, which was still encased by Olivia's shield.

"The cannon demons are asleep," said Max, "and the villains are gone, so why is the shield still up?"

* * *

**…The Great Hall…**

"What do you mean the shield is still up!?" Jill demanded of Scorpio, whom had just ran into the room to deliver the news that the enemy camp had been broken, The Devourer denied access to the world and the villains retreated.

"That's just it," said Scorpio, "Albus, Rose, James and Izzy, we all saw what happened down there. But the shield is still up."

"Olivia should have calmed down and come out of her zone once the demon cannons stopped firing and the enemy retreated," said Ashley, "she shouldn't be still projecting."

"Maybe she's got shell shock," said Alison.

"Or maybe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder," said Riku.

"It's a distinct possibility," said J.D., "I'm no doctor, but maybe Olivia is still frightened and needs more time to calm down."

"Well, she'll calm down soon enough," said Ashley, "according to my latest calculations, without the demon cannons, Olivia has a full day left before she runs out of energy."

"A day," said Sora, "okay, we can wait that long."

"I sincerely doubt that a day is enough to solve the next clue," said Tess, "What the hell is the Heart of Hogwarts?"

"What about…no, it can't be," said Kylie, as astonished look on her face, "it just can't be."

"What?" Aiden asked, "what are you thinking of?"

"Maybe the Heart of Hogwarts isn't in an exact place," said Kylie, "that it's magic, pure and simple."

"That makes sense to me," said Malcolm, "and…wait…that's it! What's the most magical place in all of Hogwarts?"

"A room that gives you exactly what you need," said Cho in an astonished tone as she began fitting the puzzle together in her mind, "The Room of Requirement. It gave The D.A. a place to learn Defense Against The Dark Arts, and it provided a safe haven for the students when The Death Eaters occupied Hogwarts."

"And it's also been a place where students have hidden incriminating objects for hundreds of years," said Professor McGonagall, "it's where The Dark Lord Voldemort hid one of his Horcruxes."

"It's the perfect place to hide something so dangerous that it frightened even The Four Founders," said Sora, "where is The Room of Requirement?"

"The seventh floor corridor," said Neville, "opposite a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach ballet to trolls."

"Then let's go!" shouted Roxas.

"Oh, wait!" said Scorpio, "there's something else I need to tell you all," he then closed his eyes in concentration, "wait, what was it? Oh, the masked wizards are back and they helped stopped The Devourer from coming in."

"Those goobers?" Naminé asked irately, "let me guess, they still want to kill us."

"They're willing to find another way," said Scorpio, "at least, that's what Izzy said she saw from reading their lips. But there's one more thing, I just can't remember, a name, the one with the raven mask, his name, what was it?"

"It can wait," said Cho, "go tell Albus and the others to tell Harry and Max that we're almost there, we've almost solved the mystery of The Sign."

* * *

**…the former enemy camp…**

"Exactly when did your daughter learn Farsi, Hermione?" Aaron asked as Max looked at the latest coded message from the Astronomy Tower.

"When she was supposed to be asleep," said Hermione in a mildly annoyed tone, "I kept catching her studying at night during the summer holidays."

"We kept telling her that it's not healthy to be up all night after night," said Ron, "but she keeps doing it. Next thing you know, Hugo will be pulling all-nighters."

"I don't believe it," said Max in an irate tone, "they're still going after The Sign."

"You've got to stop them!" said Tobias Beachwood in an urgent tone, "if they unseal The Sign, they will unleash devastation the likes of which the world has never seen!"

"I don't understand," said Harry, "first you wanted to murder Sora and the other Keyblade Wielders, then you sided with Regina and her group, but you wanted to keep Hogwarts and everyone else safe. But now you're willing to cooperate, but you still won't tell us the whole truth. Why?"

"Because I can't," said Tobias Beachwood, "and if you have to ask why, then you really aren't as great as a mystery solver as your biography says so, Harry Potter."

"I had a lot of luck and friends with me," said Harry, "and I do know. You made The Unbreakable Vow." At that all the witches and wizards all muttered with shock, while Max and Aaron looked gravely concerned.

"All in our group made The Unbreakable Vow," said Tobias Beachwood, "That we would defend the secret of The Sigh with our lives, that we would to what was necessary to ensure that no one solved the mystery, that we would spill as little innocent blood as possible, that we would give out only as much information as necessary in order to obtain assistance when required, and that we would pass the mantle of our responsibilities onto the next generation.

"For a thousand years our predecessors kept The Vow, passing on our mantle to our eldest children, and they to their eldest children. For a thousand years, we've done what was needed to protect The Sign, erasing minds and destroying information when someone got too close to the truth. And when necessary, when all else fails. we have taken lives.

"We slipped up this time when the smaller versions of The Sign were found after The Battle of Hogwarts. Our group did what we could to resist The Death Eaters and defy the will of He Who Must Not Be Named. But so many of us were killed during the war, so many of our elders and middle members. I am the last of the eldest generation," he then indicated the other masked wizards, "and these outstanding men are the sons and grandsons of those who fell defying The Dark Lord."

"We have done our duty, protecting The Sign as our ancestors have since the time of Godric Gryffindor and the other Founders. They had given our ancestors this responsibility, but now we must shrug off the mantle, for the time of crisis is at hand."

"What crisis?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Regina and her ilk aren't the only ones after what is sealed away behind The Sign," said Tobias Beachwood, "the is another group who seeks what is sealed away, so they can use it to their own dark purpose."

"Wait, stop!" said Harry, "don't tell me anymore. You'll break The Vow!"

"You're going to die if you tell us more," said Max.

"I've lived long enough in the shadows," said Tobias Beachwood, "I'm tired of this mantle. I've already made arrangements so that when I die, my comrades will be released from their Vows."

"But why?" Hermione asked, "why tell us this?"

"Because when we retreated earlier," said Tobias Beachwood, "we were informed, and that source wishes to remain anonymous, that another group, a Nemesis group, has made their move and will attempt to infiltrate Hogwarts. They are aware of the progress Sora and his friends have made in unsealing The Sign and they wish to be there to steal the prize at the moment of triumph."

"And…what is the prize?" Harry asked.

"Memories," said Tobias Beachwood. He then gasped in shock and fell to his knees, clutching at his heart.

"No!" shouted Harry as he rushed to Tobias' side, "you git, you shouldn't have told me that!"

"I accepted this when I learned that The Nemesis was on the move," said Tobias Beachwood as he endured the pain in his heart, "I also fortified my body so that I'll live long enough to reveal this long-awaited truth," he looked at Harry, "the memories…they belonged to The Four Founders!" he then gasped in pain again and nearly collapsed.

"Aaron!" shouted Harry.

"He can't…help me," said Tobias Beachwood as he sat back up, his face twisted with pain but he fought through it, "no one…can. But I can't…stop. The Four Founders…they discovered a spell, the most…powerful spell in existence…a spell of…creation!" he then shouted in pain and fell onto his back.

"Please, stop," said Harry as he held Tobias's hand, "save your strength."

"The spell of…creation…" said Tobias, "the Genesis Spell…it will…remake the world…in the image of the user," he then sat back up and looked into Harry's eyes, speaking with crystal clarity, "The Nemesis, they will turn this world into a living nightmare. You must stop them!" With that he gave one more gasp and fell onto his back and remained still.

"He's dead," said Aaron as he checked for a pulse.

"It's done," said the shark-masked wizard as he and his comrades took their masks off, "we're free from The Unbreakable Vow and are at your disposal."

"Have you no remorse for your leader?" Hermione asked.

"He knew exactly what he was doing," said one of the masked wizards, "he sacrificed himself so that we could stop a great evil."

"I hate sacrifices," said Harry, "alright, we'll work together," he then looked at Hogwarts, "but the first thing we need to do is figure out how to get through that shield."

* * *

**…Hogwarts…The Seventh Floor Corridor…**

"I don't get it," said Malcolm as he, Roxas, Naminé, Lancaster, Nathanial, Yasmine and Cordelia, looked at a tapestry of a wizard trying to get a group of trolls to dance, "why would anyone want anything to do with these things? Even in my universe, we try to have as little as possible with trolls."

"Well, Barnabas the Barmy didn't earn his name by being a normal wizard," said Yasmine.

"No, you're doing it wrong, Sora," said Neville as he stopped Sora from pacing back and forth. For the past five minutes or so, Sora had been trying to open The Room of Requirement by walking back and forth along the indicated spot at the wall, while saying what he wanted three times in his mind.

"What am I doing wrong?" Sora asked, "I walked exactly where you said I should and said the words in my mind. 'I want to get to the Heart of Hogwarts.' But nothing happens."

"Are you sure we're in the right spot?" Aiden asked.

"This is where The Room of Requirement is," Angelina insisted.

"As if we would forget a place that played such an important part in our lives," said Cho.

"But why won't it open?" Tess asked.

"Maybe we're not thinking about it right," said Riku, "maybe…we are saying the right words, but should try a different manner."

"This was set up by the Four Founders," said Tara, "after we've come this far, it would have belittled them to have made the final step easy."

"One last puzzle before the final prize," said Cass.

"Getting into the Room so that it reveals The Heart of Hogwarts," said Malcolm.

"But it should have opened," said Neville, "we've been getting into The Room just by asking for it. But now…"

"Hold on," said Aiden, a distant look on his face, "I…I think I'm having a stroke!"

"What?!" exclaimed Sora, Riku and Tess.

"Of genius!" exclaimed Aiden as he grinned excitedly. He then began pacing back and forth across the indicated spot on the wall, walking past it three times, a look of focused concentration on his face.

After the third pass, an elaborate doorway appeared at the empty spot.

"What did you do?" Sora asked.

"I asked for The Heart of Hogwarts," said Aiden, "not with my mind, but with my heart."

At that Sora slapped his forehead with his palm, "why didn't I think of that?!"

"We can't all be lucky lazy bums, now can we?" Naminé asked.

"Right," said Sora, "so," he then stood in front of the door and reached for the door handle, "do we go in or not?"

"We've come this far," said Riku, "we'd be sorry if we turned back now."

"But whatever's behind that door is something that frightened even The Four Founders," said Ryo.

"On the other hand," said Cordelia, "it could be something wonderful, terrifying, yes, but also wonderful."

"It's your choice, young Sora," said Professor McGonagall, "it's not too late to stop."

"I know," said Sora. He then reached for the handle and turned it. The door swung open and Sora walked in, followed by the others.

For a moment, the room they found themselves in was pitch black, with only the immediate area in front of the doorway dimly lit by the wall torches from the corridor. But then many more torches lit up and the room was illuminated. The room was as big as The Great Hall and lined with columns that formed a central pathway set with multi-colored tiles. The columns were inscribed with strange symbols, while in the middle of the room was a large stone block that was like a container, with the top being a rectangular stone covering, and on the covering was The Sign of The Sacred Heart.

"This must be the stone table from the woodcarving," said Cho as she and the others stood around the block, "this is the origin of The Sign."

"But what does it mean?" Aiden asked.

Just then the door to the outside corridor slammed shut and the torches went out, plunging the room into total darkness. Sora heard everyone cry out in surprise, but then he heard Tess, Naminé, Tara and most of the other girls scream in fright, accompanied by the sound of several struggles going on at once.

"What's happening?!" Sora asked. He then heard the sound of several shouts of _"Stupify!" _from several strange voices, then heard several bodies hit the floor.

The torches came back on again and to the shock and horror of Sora, he saw Neville, J.D. and Andrew unconscious on the floor, as well as Nathanial, Lancaster, Matthew and Ryo, while Tess, Naminé, Professor McGonagall, Jill, Cho, Angelina, Jessie, Ashley, Tara, Alison, Kylie, Cass, Yasmine and Cordelia, were all chained to the columns and also unconscious. Only Sora, Aiden, Roxas, Riku and Malcolm were still conscious.

To make matters worse, a dozen wizards in white cloaks and wearing blank masks, had appeared in the room.

"What the…!?" exclaimed Sora.

"Don't be alarmed, Sora," said one of the white-cloaked wizards, "we mean you and your companions no harm."

"You bastards!" snapped Riku, "you found a way past Olivia's shield! And now you're going to kill us!?"

"Why would we try to kill you?" the white-cloaked wizard, "we need you alive, or rather, just four of you."

"Wait a second," said Aiden in a suspicious tone, "I know that voice! We met yesterday at Hogsmeade."

"I remember that voice too," said Roxas, "Investigator Burk, right?"

"My real name is my own," said the white-cloaked wizard. He then lowered his hood and took off his mask, revealing himself to be the man whom introduced himself as Investigator Burk, "but you may call me that, if you wish."

"So you're going to stop us from solving the mystery of The Sign, right?" Aiden asked.

"We knew all along," said Burk, "my comrades and I have known for a long time. We just needed you to solve all the clues and get to The Heart of Hogwarts, and unseal The Sign of course."

"What is it?" Malcolm asked, "just what the hell is all of this about?"

"Of course, you deserve to know the truth," said Burk, "it's a long story, so I'll make it short. The Four Founders discovered a spell that could remake the world to whatever the user wishes. A spell of creation, The Genesis Spell. Godric Gryffindor and the other Founders were afraid of what The Genesis Spell could do, so they removed their memories of it and sealed those memories away, with The Sign being the seal," he then pointed at the stone container, "that's what's in there, that's what is being kept sealed away by The Sign; The Genesis Spell! And you Keyblade Wielders are going to unseal it for us."

"And if you refuse," said one of the white-cloaked wizards, "then we start executing your friends," he then pointed his wand at Tess, "Starting with this pretty one here."

"I guess we have no choice," said Riku.

**The end of chapter 8.**

_Next chapter finds Sora and the others dealing with one shattering truth after another. Who will survive? Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!_


	9. Chapter 9: Balanced Magic

_Last time found our heroes and allies seeing a message from The Four Founders, warning them not to continue after The Sign. Naturally, Sora and the others kept going, eventually figuring out that they needed to go to The Room of Requirement. Meanwhile outside, Regina decided to pull out all the stops by summoning a demon so powerful, so vile, so huge, that not even the devil wanted anything to do with it. At Hogsmeade, Rebecca sensed the coming of The Devourer of Worlds and it terrified. Harry and Max initiated a plan to break through the enemy camp, and with the unexpected help of the masked wizards, prevented the demon from arriving in the world and forced Regina and the other villains to retreat back to Castle Oblivion. The leader of the masked wizards, Tobias Beachwood, revealed to Harry that The Sign of the Sacred Heart was created to seal away a spell that could remake the world, The Genesis Spell. Tobias then died because be broke The Unbreakable Vow. Back inside Hogwarts, our heroes and allies entered The Room of Requirement, revealing a temple-like chamber where The Sign was. But then another group of masked wizards, in white this time, lead by Wesley Burk, captured the girls and demanded that Sora and the boys do what they say. 'Nuff said, on with the show!_

**Chapter 9: Balanced Magic**

"So you're going to stop us from solving the mystery of The Sign, right?" Aiden asked.

"We knew all along," said Burk, "my comrades and I have known for a long time. We just needed you to solve all the clues and get to The Heart of Hogwarts, and unseal The Sign of course."

"What is it?" Malcolm asked, "just what the hell is all of this about?"

"Of course, you deserve to know the truth," said Burk, "it's a long story, so I'll make it short. The Four Founders discovered a spell that could remake the world to whatever the user wishes. A spell of creation, The Genesis Spell. Godric Gryffindor and the other Founders were afraid of what The Genesis Spell could do, so they removed their memories of it and sealed those memories away, with The Sign being the seal," he then pointed at the stone container, "that's what's in there, that's what is being kept sealed away by The Sign; The Genesis Spell! And you Keyblade Wielders are going to unseal it for us."

"And if you refuse," said one of the white-cloaked wizards, "then we start executing your friends," he then pointed his wand at Tess, "Starting with this pretty one here."

"I guess we have no choice," said Riku. He then glared at Burk, "what do you want us to do, specifically?"

"Ah, that's the thing," said Burk. He then walked up to the stone box, "The Four Founders, in their early days, before they really got serious and founded Hogwarts, they were on good terms with some old Keyblade Wielders. This was long ago, long before The Keyblade War that all but annihilated them from existence."

"How do you know about The Keyblade War?" Aiden asked.

"We have our sources," said Burk, "now, as to The Four Founders, when they stumbled upon the ultimate power of The Genesis Spell, they performed an experiment with it, just one experiment. They found an empty patch of land that had no apparent life, no people, no animals or plants, on the surface, but I'll get to that again in a bit. Now, the spell was cast and in a flash, that empty patch of ground was turned into a lush forest full of all manner of life forms, from birds to deer and wolves.

"But they forgot to check underground. The seemingly empty patch of land had a thriving colony of moles before the spell was cast. Afterwards, the moles and all other underground life had been erased from existence.

"That's what scared the Four Founders so much. The Genesis Spell creates life, but if there's anything there already, the old life is removed, to make way for the new."

"Creation through destruction," said Riku, "no wonder they were horrified by it."

"If that spell were used where there were people, they'd be wiped out," said Aiden.

"You can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs," said Burk, "to bring about a great change, some sacrifices must be made."

"Sacrifices? What sacrifices?" Roxas demanded, "and what great change?"

"To remake the world into something grander," said Burk, "but I'll get back to it soon, but first, when they realized what kind of power they had, The Four Founders were scared witless. The used the spell to create the forest that would grow into The Forbidden Forest, but they could have done so much more with it. They could have used the spell to change the entire world! They could have made any change to the planet, make it a paradise for both wizards and Muggles, or divide the world in half and allowed the two races to live separate but equal destinies.

"But no, they were frightened of the power and couldn't wait to get rid of it. They and a few of their trusted collogues, as well as some Keyblade Wielders they befriend, created this place, this Room of Requirement, right in the Heart of Hogwarts, so they could remover all of their memories of The Genesis Spell and seal those memories away, creating The Sign of The Sacred Heart as a means to keep it locked up.

"They then created the black cloak group to act as guardians of The Sign, traveling down history and doing what was necessary to keep The Sign and The Genesis Spell a secret. They alone knew the truth and kept it from the magical world.

"But then, after the downfall of Grindenwall in 1945, some of the black cloaks realized that both worlds, wizarding and Muggle, were doomed to destruction, in one form or another. Wizards were divided between Pure Bloods and Muggleborns, with neither side truly trusting each other, while all of them were in constant fear of being discovered and exploited by Muggles. The Dark Lord was just one Dark Wizard to exploit this weakness. Had he had his way, his policies would have resulted in wizard-kind's self destruction. By wiping out Muggle born witches and wizards and enslaving Muggles and other, 'less worthy races,' Pure Bloods would have been doomed to extinction through genetic inbreeding. Within ten generations or so, there would have been no wizards left. It's only a matter of time before another would-be Dark Lord rises to take up Lord Voldemort's mantle, and there won't be another Harry Potter to stop him, or her, the Dark Arts don't tend to discriminate between men and women.

"And then of course, there are the Muggles, so smug and self confident in their science and technology. And what has that technology gotten them? Bombs and missiles that can destroy entire cities and spread radiation. What has technology begotten? Factories that spew pollutiants and toxins onto the land, into the sea and the air, while the animals that we share the world with are dieing out, some more slowly that others, but still approaching extinction nontheless. And then there's all the diseases and chemicals they've created for warfare. And then there are those Muggles willing to murder others and murder themselves, all in the name of irrational causes and beliefs.

"One way or another, wizards and Muggles are doomed to destroy themselves!"

"That's a lie!" snapped Sora, "people don't do that! Not normal, good people."

"Yes, there's a lot of irrational people out there willing to do stupid, pointless and irresponsible things," said Riku, "but they're outnumbered by the good people whom just want to live in peace."

"And what have those good, peaceful people done to make sure that the bad don't wipe them out!?" Burk demanded, "not enough! Even in this modern era, there's still evil that threatens to destroy the good! This world is doomed!"

"We're only doomed if we give up!" snapped Neville as he and Andrew got up, while Professor McGonagall, Cho, Angelina, Jessie, Ashley and everyone else, woke up.

"Don't bother, Neville," said Andrew as he glared at Burk, "I've seen this kind of lunacy before. Nothing we say can convince him and his comrades to stop and end this before someone else gets hurt."

"I never said that I wanted to hurt any of you," said Burk, "but I will if you don't cooperate. And don't even try to use your magic to stop us, we've neutralized your wands for the time being. You'll get your powers back, but it'll be too late."

"And we've confiscated your toys as well, Andrew Carpenter," said one of the white-cloaked wizards as he held up Andrew's .475 pistol, while another white-cloak held up two pouches that contained his mini-bombs.

At that Andrew looked like he wanted to rip Burk and the other white-cloaks apart, "Give those back!" he exclaimed while he tapped his fingers to his palm, "I mean it, give me back my stuff! I don't like it when people take my stuff!"

"Be thankful that we didn't take your watch," said Burk. At that Andrew franticly clutched at his watch.

"Oh yes," said Burk, "we know how precious that watch is to you. It's the keystone that holds together your sanity. With a simple summoning spell, I can take it form you, and then you'd never see it again. So, if I were you, I'd hold my silence."

Andrew glared hatefully at Burk, but didn't speak.

"Now that that's out of the way," said Burk, he then looked at Sora, Riku, Aiden and Roxas, "The Four Founders had their Keyblade Wielder friends seal the memories away. You shall use your Keyblades to break the seal and free the memories."

"Why us?" Roxas asked.

"Because four Keyblade Wielders were there to seal The Sign," said Burk, "and you four shall undo the seal."

"Just what do you hope to accomplish by this?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Ah, the illustrious Headmistress speaks," said Burk as he smiled happily, "I do apologize for all this unpleasantness, but it's for the greater good."

"And what good would that be?" Angelina asked.

"The creation of a new, better world," said Burk, "this world is corrupt, weak, diseased, twisted and overall tainted. But with The Genesis Spell, my comrades and I can get rid of the taint. We can remake the world into the way it was meant to be; pure, honest, joyful, free of fear, pain and darkness. A world where wizards and Muggles live together in peace and friendship. A world so bright, so beautiful, it will be the envy of the entire universe!"

All the while Burk was ranting, Sora had noticed out of the corner of his eye that Malcolm was edging away from everyone, moving slowly and quietly towards one corner of the room. He then pressed a hidden switch in the floor and opened a secret passage without a sound. He then looked at Sora, held up his finger in a shushing manner and nodded. Sora gave a slight nod in response and Malcolm slipped into the secret passage, which closed up just as Burk finished his rant, all without attracting the attention of the white-cloaks

"You sound just like Kira," said Sora in an annoyed tone, hoping to buy time for Malcolm to do whatever he was going to do.

"Kira?" Burk asked, "who's Kira?"

"You obviously don't know as much about us as you think," said Riku.

"Kira," said Aiden, "otherwise known as Light Yagami, a genuine psychopath if there ever was one."

"He tried to remake his world into a paradise of peace and justice," said Riku, "by murdering all those he considered evil. He killed countless murderers, rapists, terrorists, drug dealers and other menaces to society."

"But he also killed a lot of good people," said Sora, "police officers and others who tried to stop his rampage of death!"

"He even instigated the death of his own father because he got too close to the truth!" said Riku, "and you're just like Kira, Burk, or whoever the hell you are!"

"How am I like this Kira?" Burk asked, "I merely seek to remake the world."

"By wiping out the old one!" snapped Tess. "You're sick, plain and simple!"

"One person's madman is another world's savior," said Burk.

"And you see yourself as some kind of messiah?" Andrew asked in a contemptious tone, "Tess is right, you are sick!"

"I thought you didn't approve of trying to reason with me," said Burk.

"I don't," said an irate Andrew, "I was merely pointing out how messed up you are, you festering sack of pig-vomit! And you are crazy! What gives you the right to remake the world in your twisted vision?"

"The right of the man willing to do what has to be done to end an even greater madness!" snapped Burk, "You and your fellow Meta Humans have been fighting to keep this world save. Your own team, The Ramblers, for twenty years you've been fighting one battle after another, defeating foe after foe after foe! And for what? All for over seven billion ungrateful Muggles whom will never know what you and your friends have sacrificed so much for."

"The world isn't perfect," said J.D., "and neither are the people whom live on it. Wizards, Meta Humans, Mortals, and all the other intelligent species, we're not perfect. Some of us have the hubris of claiming perfection, but for the most part, we strive for the best we can."

"And what about the people who just want to live in peace and happiness?" Ashley asked, "what about the everyman whom has committed no crime worth his own destruction?"

"They will be reborn in the new world!" said Burk, "we shall ensure that all the people alive now shall be remade into new, better people; free of fear, free of hate and other negative emotions. The new everyman shall feel nothing but eternal joy. He will never hurt another, or wish harm on another. This will be a world of peace and happiness."

"And what about freedom?" Aiden asked, "what about balance?"

"You can't have peace without the concept of war," said Riku, "nor happiness without sorrow. The heart needs balance."

"The heart is blighted with darkness," said Burk, "I know the story of Zumakalis, the first world of The Realms of Light, a world that was once free of darkness, only to be destroyed by that darkness when its people began to covit the light. As for freedom, it'll still be there. The new people of the new world, they will be free to pursue any choice they wish, so long as it isn't dark."

"It sound's like slavery to me," said Sora. He then thought as hard as he could, _:Malcolm, whatever you're going to do, hurry up!:_

* * *

Malcolm hurried through several secret passages that quickly lead him down to the dungeons, while ignoring the dull ache behind his eye. It started just after he woke up. While Burk was spouting his mad ideology, the headache struck Malcolm. Just when he thought that he was having the worst luck ever, he heard the voice, the same voice that set him on the path of the Keyblade Wielder in the first place.

This voice reassured him that everything was going to be alright, but he had to hurry. Malcolm was then told about the series of secret passageways, as well as given some information that, the voice said, would make sense when the time was right. Considering how desperate the situation was, Malcolm took a leap of faith and entered the secret passage.

All the while the headache was still throbbing behind his eye. Malcolm thought this was just to remind him of the urgency of his mission, but it could just be a headache. He then thought that he heard Sora talking to him, but it could just be a halucinaton.

"Anything's possible," Malcolm said to himself, "just more for me to put into my next letter to Merida."

He then exited the secret passage, arriving just outside the Potions Lab, where he saw Professor Slughorn coming towards him.

"Malcolm!" said a surprised Slughorn, "my dear boy, what has happened to you?'

"No time to explain, Professor," said Malcolm, "the others are up a certain creek without a paddle, and the canoe has sprung a leak."

"We should go see Professor McGonagall," said Slughorn.

"She's in trouble too," said Malcolm. He then winced as the throbbing behind his eye intensified a bit, urging him on in his mission, "there's no time to go get another teacher. I need your help, Professor. The fate of the world is at stake."

At that Professor Slughorn looked rather taken aback, as if he was stunned beyond words, but soon recovered enough to think coherently, "what do you need of me, my boy?"

"I need potion reagents," said Malcolm. He then paused as some of the information began to make sense to him, as if a fog was clearing in his mind, "I need…I need Blood Moss, Sulfurous Ash, Ginseng, Spider Silk, Mandrake Rook, Garlic and Nightshade."

"You need all of that?" a severely confused Slughorn asked, "my dear boy, none of those ingredients combine to form a useful potion, at least not one I know of."

"You're not the only one without a clue," said Malcolm, "I'm running on outside information that's not entirely clear to me, but it's the best I've got."

At that Slughorn smiled, "there are times when even the most logical minds need to take a leap of faith. Come now, we've got work to do."

* * *

**…The Room of Requirement…**

"We could go around like this until the end of time," said J.D. in an exasperated tone.

"We agree on that," said Burk, "nothing you can say will deter my comrades and I from out grand purpose, while nothing we say can sway the rest of you to our cause."

"We agree on that," said Riku irately.

"Would you at least answer one question honestly?" Professor McGonagall asked, "how did you get inside Hogwarts?"

"That has been bugging me," said Ashley, "how did you bastards get past Olivia's shield?"

"All the secret passages into Hogsmeade were blocked off," said Neville.

"True," said Burk, "but my comrades and I have been working towards this moment ever since Sora and his fellow Keyblade Wielders arrived at Hogwarts. We knew that you would be coming, just not when exactly. Once we knew that you were here, we moved our plans to the next phase. First of all, we ensured that nothing would deter Sora and his friends from seeking The Sign," he looked at Sora, "you and your companions have been carefully manipulated into your quest, while your wizardly friends were also being manipulated."

"How?" Tara asked, "and you never did tell us how you got inside Hogwarts."

"Oh, we dug a new passageway," said Burk, "one that went right under Ms. Kursk's shield."

"Impossible!" snapped Jill, "Olivia's shield can't be penetrated anywhere!"

"Ah, but there is a weakness," said Burk, "if you draw a line straight down from Ms. Kursk's position and went fifty feet below the foundations of the castle, there's a small hole in the shield, just large enough for a man to pass through.

"We had to alter our plans when the shield went up, but it didn't take us long to determine where the hole was. It was all too easy to dig the tunnel. What wasn't easy was to ensure that Regina and her ilk wouldn't prove to be too much of a nuisance."

"Are you working with Regina and the others?" Sora asked.

"We made sure that they would be driven from the world," said Burk in an offended tone. "Good heavens, boy! Imagine the horrors unleashed if the likes of Regina and Maleficent got their hands on The Genesis Spell. We knew they were coming and sabotaged them. They thought they were just being paranoid as they made their way through The Forbidden Forest but it was us, cursing them just enough to weaken them to ensure their defeat.

"Now, about you all, don't you think you've been acting a bit irrationally lately? You've been hell-bent on solving the riddle of The Sign while outside evils have been doing their best to kill you. It's been pretty much all you've been able to think about, almost to the point of obsession."

"He's right," said Riku, "The Sign has been on our minds almost all the time over the past few hours." One by one our heroes and allies nodded as the realized it.

"How'd you do it, you bastard!?" Jill asked, "how'd you pull the wool over their eyes?"

"Ah, yes, you Meta Humans weren't as affected," said Burk, "but in the end, you were ensnared by The Sign," he then grinned mischievously, "oh, and before you can ask, your three martial artist friends, they've been, taken care of."

"Oh God!" exclaimed J.D., "I…I can't sense them; Nina, Sara and Yuri, I can't sense them anymore!"

"What did you do to them, you goat-sucking sons of bitches!?" exclaimed Andrew.

"Merely incapacitated them," said Burk, "they still live, but they won't be rushing to the rescue. Anyway, Sora and his friends have been manipulated…by one of your own."

"A turncoat?!" Ryo exclaimed as he, Sora and the other Keyblade Wielders and students began eyeing each other in a paranoid manner, trying to figure out who had betrayed them.

"Oh, none of _you _are working for us," said Burk in a reassuring manner, "but one in Hogwarts is one of us. He had been using magic to influence you all into pouring yourselves into your quest, a few quiet suggestions here, an Imperious Curse there and so on."

"If you're trying to undermine us, you are mistaken!" said Professor McGonagall, "I refuse to believe that any Hogwarts student would willingly ally himself with you lunatics!"

"Then permit me to prove you wrong, Headmistress," said one of the white-cloaks. He lowered his hood and removed his mask, revealing himself to be Louis Allgood, and the look of smug triumph on his face was the nail in the coffin of his betrayal.

"You!" exclaimed an outraged and disgusted Tara. She then struggled against her chains, "You bastard! I'll kill you! You slimly, turncoat bastard!"

"You should have accepted my advances, Tara," said Louis Allgood, "if you had just opened yourself up to me, I would have let you in on the grand plan. Your ideas could have helped make the new world that much better, but now it's too late."

"So you betrayed us all just to get back at Tara!?" Kylie exclaimed, "you poisoned our minds and made us do your dirty work, all just for revenge?!"

"You sick frak!" snapped Tess.

"I belonged to the white cabal from the moment I was born," said Louis Allgood, "Tara means nothing to me now."

"I'll still kill you!" snapped Tara.

"With what?" Burk asked. "Neither you or your friends are in any position to threaten us."

"Where as we," said Louis Allgood, "we have total power. Now, which of you lovely ladies will die first?"

"Don't you touch them!" snapped Sora.

"Or what?" Louis Allgood asked in a daring tone, "you'll spit on us?" he then laughed cruelly.

"That's enough, Louis," said Burk, "we're about to remake the world into something wonderful. There will be no place for cruelty in the new paradise."

"I'm aware of that, sir," said Louis Allgood in a respectful tone, "I'm just getting it all out before the great change."

"Or maybe you're just a bully at heart," said Tara, "I should have known from the beginning; you're too selfish to be a Hufflepuff."

"And Slytherin would never accept a scurvy, shister bastard like you!" said Ryo.

Without warning, Louis Allgood whipped out his wand, pointed it at Ryo and shouted, _"Crucio!"_

Ryo shouted in pain and collapsed to the ground, his whole body convulsing as the curse tormented him.

"Stop it!" shouted Cordelia.

"No," said Louis Allgood as he smirked viciously, "he insulted me, so now he pays the price."

"You sick freak!" snapped Tess.

"Is this what you want in your new world?" Riku demanded of Burk, "a sadistic monster!"

"I admit, he is taking things a bit too far," said Burk. He then looked at Louis Allgood, "enough!"

"Not until I get an apology," said Louis Allgood.

"He can't say he's sorry if you're torturing him!" shouted Sora.

"I don't want an apology from him," said Louis Allgood, "I want Tara to apologize. I want her to beg my forgiveness for all the times she rejected me!"

"The hell I will!" snapped Tara, "I'll never apologize to you, never!"

"Then I'll just have to torment your little friend until he goes completely mad," said Louis Allgood.

_"Imperio!"_ shouted Burk as he pointed his wand at Louis Allgood. A jet of green smoke hit the sadistic wizard in the head and a look of blissful oblivion dawned on his face. Louis lowered his wand and Ryo gasped in relief and passed out.

"He'll be alright," said Neville as he and Nathanial checked on Ryo, "he just needs to rest."

"I apologize for this," said Burk to all our heroes and allies, "my young friend here, he's severely undisciplined and unbalanced. It was my decision to involve him in our grand design. I tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted on doing his part in the great change." he then looked at Louis, who was still dead to the world, but open to suggestions, "go sit in the corner like a good little boy."

Still smiling blissfully, Louis walked over to one of the corners of the room and sat down.

"Now that that's out of the way," said Burk, he then looked at Sora, Riku, Aiden and Roxas, "you four will now unseal The Sign and release the memories of The Four Founders."

"We will not," said Sora as he, Riku, Aiden and Roxas defiantly crossed their arms.

"You will unseal The Genesis Spell!" said Burk.

"No," said Riku.

"You will!" said Burk. He then pointed his wand at them and shouted, _"Imperio!"_

All of a sudden, Sora felt like he was floating on the ocean, completely relaxed and free of stress. He then felt as if someone was whispering to him.

_'Would you please unseal The Genesis Spell?'_

Sora wanted to answer 'yes' right away, but he caught himself, "now why would I do that?"

_'It'd make me happy if you did,'_ said the voice, _'please open the container?'_

"I don't think so," replied Sora, "and you can't make me."

_'You will unseal The Sign,'_ said the voice, _'you will help remake the world.'_

"I like this world the way it is, thank you very much," insisted Sora. By now he was getting annoyed with the voice.

_'You will unseal The Genesis Spell!'_ said the voice in a demanding tone.

"No, I won't!" shouted Sora.

In a flash, Sora was back to his old self, blinking in slight confusion as he realized he had broken The Imperious Curse. He then saw Riku, Aiden and Roxas, also blinking in confusion.

"So," said Burk in a confused but controlled tone, "you four are stronger than I anticipated. So be it," he then walked over to the girls and began pacing back and forth, "it would seem that in order to bring about the great change, extreme measures would have to be taken." he then pulled out a knife, "I was hoping to avoid spilling innocent blood…"

"Fat lot coming from someone willing to wipe out seven billion people!" shouted Kylie.

Burk then abruptly slapped her across the face, "you, I wouldn't mind silencing. Now, Sora, you and your companions will unseal The Sign. You will give us The Genesis Spell, or I will kill your female friends one by one. Then I'll start killing your male friends!" he then pulled out a pocket watch, "you have five minutes to decide; remake the world into something better? Or let your friends die. Choose wisely, my patience only goes so far."

_:I mean it, Malcolm,:_ thought Sora, _:hurry up!:_

* * *

**…The Potions Lab…**

"I'm going as fast as I can, Sora!" shouted Malcolm as he and Professor Slughorn mixed the reagents in a cauldron.

"What's that you're saying?" Slughorn asked as he added the last of the ingredients to the cauldron.

"Nothing," said Malcolm as he stirred the caldron, "just a feeling that we need to hurry."

"Well, we are going by your instructions," said Slughorn.

"Which I barely understand myself," said Malcolm. He then looked up, "alright, voice," he said to himself, "you got me this far, so what next?"

Instead of a voice, he was answered by a series of words that flashed in his mind.

"That's it?" Malcolm asked, "a spell that I can't understand? Well, why not? You've told me to mix a strange potion, so why not have me cast a strange spell?"

"Are you sure you're alright, my boy?" Slughorn asked.

"Honestly," said Malcolm in an exasperated tone, "I'm running on sheer guts and instinct right now, so yes and no, I'm alright and not alright, so go figure. And stop calling me 'my boy!'"

Just then the potion flashed with blue light and condensed into a dark blue stone about the size of a tennis ball, "I could be wrong, but I think it's done," said Malcolm as he took the stone from the cauldron.

"I have to know," said Slughorn, "what is that?"

"Either something completely useless and a result of stressed-induced insanity," said Malcolm as he held the stone up at eye-level, "or something that could save us all."

Just then the throbbing behind his eye flared up again, urging him on, "alright!" snapped Malcolm as he winced and held his free hand up to his eye, "alright! I'm going!" he then looked at Slughorn, "sorry, Professor, but this is where I go on alone!" with that he ran out of the Potions Lab.

"Wait!" Slughorn called after him, racing to catch up with Malcolm and moving rather nimbly for a man of his age and girth. He followed Malcolm up out of the dungeons and into the 1st floor corridor, "Malcolm! Wait!"

"I'm sorry, Professor!" said Malcolm, "but I'm due back in The Room of Requirement!" with that he disappeared into a secret passage. Slughorn tried to open the passage, but it was as if it had never existed.

"Youth these days," sighed Slughorn, then shrugged it off, "but, what are you going to do about it?"

He then turned around, only to see Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Draco, John, Rebecca, Max, Leon, Aaron, the black-cloaked wizards and several Ministry wizards and Bureau agents, running from one of the 1st floor classrooms.

"Harry!" exclaimed Slughorn.

"Professor!" said Harry, "what's happening?!"

"Never mind that!" said Slughorn in an exasperated tone, "how did you get past the shield!?"

"The same way the enemy got past the shield," said Hermione, "they dug a tunnel, running from The Forbidden Forest right under the castle."

"We should have realized that there would be a hole in Olivia's shield," said Aaron, "the nemesis group figured it out and exploited that weakness."

"But how did you know of the tunnel?" Slughorn asked Harry. "Oh, of course, that fantastic map your father made."

"Isn't there anyone else who doesn't know about the bloody map?" Ron asked.

"Your aunt," said Draco in a sarcastic manner.

"The worst part," said Ron to Hermione, "is that he's right. Great-aunt Muriel doesn't know."

"But are we too late?" Max asked.

"I honestly don't know," said Slughorn, "last I heard, Sora and his friends were rushing upstairs, then nothing for a while. Just now, young Malcolm came bursting into my classroom and insisted on making a potion that I had never heard of. He seemed both focused and unbalanced at the same time, as if he was receiving instructions from a source he didn't fully trust. He then ran into a secret passage that I haven't been able to get open."

"There's no secret passage here," said Harry after consulting The Marauder's Map, "And I can't find Malcolm on the map either. Professor Slughorn, did Malcolm say anything about where he was going?"

"He did mention The Room of Requirement," said Slughorn, "but then he…" Slughorn then realized that Harry and the others had all ran for the nearest staircase. "Hmmm, now I know I'm getting old."

* * *

**…The Room of Requirement…**

"Time's up, Sora!" said Burk, "you and your friends will unseal The Sign, now!"

"Don't do it!" shouted Tess, only to be slapped in the face by one of the white-cloaks.

"I won't ask again, Sora," said Burk as he irately glared at our heroes, "give us The Genesis Spell, or I'll start executing your friends, or maybe I'll make you choose who dies first. Either way, blood will be spilled and it will be your fault!"

"Perhaps he needs a little more coercion," said one of the white-cloaks, "there should be one more Keyblade Wielder, the princess."

"Oh yes, Kairi of Radiant Garden," said Burk. He then looked at his fellow white-cloaks, "go fetch her."

"NO!" shouted Sora, Riku, Aiden, Tess, Roxas, Namine and several others.

"Oh, so there's that nerve that I've been looking for," said Burk, "the chink in your armor. Kairi, who's helplessly asleep in the hospital wing. How easy it would be for us to bring her here and hold a knife to her throat."

"You can't!" exclaimed J.D., "Kairi's in a very delicate stage of her healing! If you disturb her in the slightest, you could damage her memories! She could wake up with total amnesia, or not at all!"

"In that case," said Burk as he looked at Sora, "you and your friends had better do as we say, or else the fate of your beloved Kairi will hang by a thread!"

"Alright, I'll do it!" said Sora, his eyes lowered in shame, "just…just don't hurt Kairi."

"Have you gone completely sideways, Sora?!" Aiden exclaimed.

"We can figure out something!" said Roxas.

"No, it's over," said Riku in a defeated tone, "he's got us right where he wants us."

"But…" said Aiden.

"It's over," said Sora, "we've got to do this." He then looked at Burk, "so, what do we do?"

"Just stand around the stone," said Burk, "one of you for each side and summon your Keyblades. Just remember to keep them pointed at the memory container. Any funny movements and we start killing the ladies." As if to emphasize the point, two of the white-cloaks pulled out knives and held them at the necks of Tess and Tara.

"Right," said Sora. He then looked at Riku, Aiden and Roxas, "Let's just get it over with."

"Right," said Riku. With that he and Sora stood at far ends of the stone box and summoned their Keyblades.

"Mr. Mackenzie?" Burk asked.

"This is freaking wrong," said Aiden irately as he walked to one of the sides and summoned his Keyblade. Roxas then walked to the remaining side, but with both hands ready to summon Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

"Just one Keyblade, Roxas," said Burk, "yes, we know you've got two."

"It was worth a try," muttered Roxas as he summoned Oathkeeper.

"Now," said Burk, "use your powers to unseal the box! Unseal The Sigh of The Sacred Heart! Free the Genesis Spell!"

Sighing with defeated acceptance, Sora, Riku, Aiden and Roxas then aimed their Keyblades at the stone container and shot beams of magic at it. There was a loud 'click!' and the top of the stone box vanished with a white flash.

"There," said Sora as he, Riku, Aiden and Roxas lowered their Keyblades, "it's done."

"Stand aside!" said Burk in an overly excited tone, "let me see!" he then moved to the stone container and peered inside, while Sora did the same. Inside were four cloud-like, silver lights that moved in a swirling manner.

"Those are memories?" Aiden asked in a confused manner.

"Is that what you see when you go into people's minds?" Roxas asked Namine,

"I wouldn't know," said Namine, "I don't see into minds, I just feel memories, it's hard to really describe."

"My God!" exclaimed Neville as he looked into the stone container, "it's a Pensive!"

"Professor Dumbledore had one," said Angelina, "Harry told us about it."

"It's still up in my office," said Professor McGonagall.

"This repository of memories is infinitely more spacious than a mere Pensive!" said Burk, "The Four Founders enchanted it to hold the memories of an entire lifetime, then transfer those memories into another person, thereby allowing one's experiences to live on past death."

"So, what are you going to do?" Aiden asked, "stick your head in there and soak up the memories like a sponge?"

"In a nutshell, yes," said Burk, "and with those memories, I shall obtain the knowledge of The Genesis Spell and use it to create paradise on Earth!"

Just then Louis Allgood stood up and turned around, "I think not, sir!" he said. He then aimed his wand at Burk and shot a stunning spell. Burk barely got his wand up in time to block.

"How dare you!?" snapped Burk, "you shouldn't have been able to defy the Imperious Curse! And you do so by defying me!"

"I was never really on your side," said Louis as he sent another stunning spell at Burk, whom then countered with a disarming spell, depriving Louis of his wand.

"I don't know what game you're playing," said Burk in an annoyed tone, "but it ends now!"

"Oh, I don't think so," said Louis in a vicious, menacing tone. His eyes then turned yellow, slitted like a snake's and now spoke in a slightly raspy tone, "in fact, I'm just getting started!" he then aimed his hand at Burk and shot a sphere of dark energy. Burk tried to block it with a shield spell, but the dark sphere blasted through the shield and shattered his wand.

"The rest of you," said Louis to the other White-Cloaks, whom all had their wands out, "don't even think of trying to stop me! I can shred your wands before you can blink!"

"Good grief!" exclaimed Andrew, "I should have known!"

"A demon!" said Jill.

"Impossible!" said J.D., "I would have sensed a demon disguised as a human!"

"It's not disguised as a human," said Sora, "he is human, just possessed."

"You mean, Louis is still in there?" Tara asked.

"Oh, he's in here alright," said the demon inside Louis Allgood, "his soul, that is. My host is completely unaware of what he has been doing since just before the school year started."

"That was when he was inducted into our group," said Burk, "and I never suspected a thing!"

"I'm rather good at hiding from prying senses," said the demon, "and you can call me Uva'zed, if it pleases you."

"Any chance that's your real name?" Riku asked.

"You'll never figure out my true name," said Uva'zed, "I'm not so stupid as to lower that defense."

"A shame," said Ashley, "if we knew your true name, we could send you back to hell where you belong!"

"That cesspool?" Uva'zed asked in an offended tone, "it's all dark and cold where I came from, and Lucifer is no good neighbor. Fortunately for me and so many of my kind, our real master is much more understanding of our needs."

"Chernabog!" said Sora, "you work for Chernabog!"

"Guilty as charged!" said Uva'zed. Then, before anyone could stop him, he rushed over to the large Pensive and jumped in. The stone box was a lot bigger on the inside as the possessed wizard completely disappeared into it.

"Good grief!" exclaimed Andrew.

"I hope he falls forever in there!" said Aiden, "or lands hard enough to break his neck!"

But then the swirling memories inside the Pensive began to condense to a single point of shining light, but then that light abruptly went out. Uva'zed then jump out into the room, a look of vicious triumph on his face, "it's done! The Genesis Spell, I have it!"

"Yes, very good," said Burk cautiously, "now, how about letting us use it?"

"Oh, I'll use it, alright," said Uva'zed, "but not to create your paradise!" he then shot a dark sphere at Burk, hitting the white-cloaked wizard in the chest that burned right into his heart. Burk gave an agonized scream as he fell down and died.

Uva'zed then killed the rest of the white-cloaks within five seconds, "there, no more of those twits."

"What that truly necessary?" Professor McGonagall asked in a shocked tone, while Sora and everyone else looked appalled.

"They were annoying me," said Uva'zed, "they had been ever since I first joined with them! They were always pushing me around, making me behave according to their human standards, never letting me have any fun! Well, it's fun-time now!"

"Why haven't you killed us?" Aiden asked cautiously.

"Because I want you all to witness my own version of The Great Change," said Uva'zed, "when I remake this Earth into a realm of chaos!"

"So you can feed Chernabog," said Tess.

"His hunger for chaos is infinite!" said Uva'zed, "your suffering as the world descends into bedlam and anarchy will only sweeten Lord Chernabog's palate, and satisfy my revenge."

"What'd we ever do to you?" Roxas asked.

"Remember Ozezil?" Uva'zed asked, "he was my cousin, and you Keyblade Wielders murdered him!"

"Technically it was Bloom who destroyed Ozezil," said Namine.

"I'll get to her and her entire Magical Dimension soon enough!" said Uva'zed, "yes, that's what I'm going to do with The Genesis Spell! After I've plunged this world into chaos, I'll move onto another world and turn that to chaos as well. And then another, and another, and another! One by one the worlds of this universe and other universes shall fall to chaos! Lord Chernabog shall receive a long but satisfying feast!"

"We won't let that happen!" said Sora, "we'll stop you, just like we stopped Ozezil and Darkar!"

"I'll destroy you before you get the chance," said Uva'zed, "I'm too fast for you, plain and simple. Now, let us begin!" He then raised his hands and began chanting a spell. The whole room began thrumming with magic, while his body crackled with yellow lightning.

"We've got to stop him!" shouted Sora as he threw his Keyblade at Uva'zed, but it vanished before it got close to the possessed wizard. Sora resummoned his Keyblade and rushed at Uva'zed, but he was forced back by a shield of some sort.

Aiden and Roxas then rushed to free Tess and the other girls, while Neville and the other wizards tried to stop the demon with spells, but none of their spells could touch Uva'zed.

"Louis!" shouted Tara after being unchained, "you've got to stop that thing! Don't let it erase the world!"

"He can't hear you," said Jill, "the demon is in control!"

"This isn't right," said Andrew as he helped Jill recover her saber, then he picked up his mini bombs and pistol, "we're not supposed to die like this! The gypsy blessing…"

"Visions of the future have been wrong," said Jessie.

Just then Malcolm popped out from the secret passage, "I made it," he then rubbed his head as his headache eased, "and not a moment too soon."

"Where the hell have you been!?" exclaimed Aiden.

"Getting what I needed," said Malcolm as he took the blue stone out of his pocket.

"For what?" Alison asked in an exasperated tone.

"To save us all!" said Malcolm as he held up the stone and began chanting a spell, while his body crackled with blue lightning.

But then Uva'zed finished his spell, while the thrumming from his body and his yellow lightning increased in noise and intensity. He then glared at Malcolm, "you're too late! This world shall be reborn into chaos!"

Malcolm then finished chanting his spell, while his body thrummed loudly at a different frequency and his blue lightning increased in intensity as well, "No, I'm just in time!" he then looked Sora and the others, "everyone! You might want to hold your ears!"

Indeed, the double thrumming from both spells was approaching deafening levels. Sora and the others held their ears tightly and took cover behind the pillars as the whole room began to shake.

* * *

**…The Seventh Floor Corridor…**

"I can't get it open!" said Harry as he furiously paced back and forth opposite the tapestry, "the map now says they're all in there, but the door won't open!"

"Well, one good thing is going for us," said the wizard who wore the shark mask, whom identified himself is Wilhelm Price, "nearly all of the nemesis group is gone, for some reason." He then pointed at the map.

"Only one is left," said Hermione, "Louis Allgood."

"He's new," said Wilhelm Price, "our intelligence operatives say he only joined with the white-cloaks earlier in the year."

"He's not acting on his own accord," said Shawn, "I'm sensing the presence of demonic possession."

"Figures," said Leon.

Just then Rebecca gasped in shock and fell to her knees.

"What is it?!" John asked as he ran over to her.

"Is it The Devourer!?" Harry asked.

"No," said Rebecca in a breathless tone as John helped her back up "it's something else! Two opposing forces, coming together, all will be smashed to atoms!"

"What is she talking about?" Draco asked.

"I think I may know," said Wilhelm Price, "but…it's impossible!"

Just then the corridor began to shake as if an earthquake had struck.

"Bloody hell!" exclaimed Ron as everyone was shook about, "now what?!"

Just then Shawn blinked in confusion, "wait, that can't be right! Olivai, her shield, it's changing!"

"Changing how?" Harry asked.

Just then everyone saw a wall of blue energy racing towards them, only for the energy to pass right through them and enter the wall.

"That was her shield," said Shawn, "it contracted and focused itself on The Room of Requirement."

"How?" Hermione asked, "why?"

As if in answer, the shaking of the castle ceased. "To contain that," said Draco, "obviously."

"Now I get it," said Harry, "somehow, Olivia knew what was going to happen. She put her shield up not only to keep The Heartless, Regina and the other Villains out, but to also keep something in."

"The Genesis Spell," said Wilhelm Price, "yes, assuming the shield is strong enough, it can be contained."

"I have no way of calculating the strength of the shield right now," said Aaron, "but if Olivia does concentrate it, it can be exponently more powerful than it was when it covered Hogwarts."

"But there's more," said Wilhelm Price, "from what we know of The Genesis Spell, it shouldn't have caused such a quake. What could have caused it?"

Just then Albus, Rose, Izzy, Scorpio and James ran up the corridor. There was a triple shout of, "Mum! Dad!" as Albus and James ran to Harry and Ginny, while Rose ran to Ron and Hermione. They embraced and were embraced by their parents, while Scorpio shouted, "Father!" and ran into Draco's arms.

"Never again!" exclaimed Hermione as tears of joy ran down her face, "never again!"

"I can't believe you would do such a foolish thing!" said Ginny to James as she alternated kisses between her sons, "if you ever go down to the lake unattended again, I'll skin you alive! I swear, you're just like George, and Fred, may he rest in peace."

"Actually, Mrs. Potter," said Izzy sheepishly, "it was really my idea to go to the lake and play with Winston."

"Don't you take the blame for this!" said Scorpio, "it was my idea and you know it!" he then looked at Draco, "honestly, Father, it was my fault."

"We'll talk about it later," said Draco, "hopefully without involving your mother."

"Uh, people?" Violet asked, "haven't we got other things to worry about?"

"Our friends are still in there!" said Max, "and we can't get The Room open!"

* * *

**…The Room of Requirement…**

After what seemed like an eternity as the room shook violently and the thrumming of the two spells neared eardrum-bursting levels, there was a flash of blue light and a crash of deafening thunder, and then silence and darkness.

But then the light came back in the room and everyone could hear again.

"What happened?" Sora asked as he and the others stood up in astonishment and looked around, finding the temple-like room to be exactly the same as before.

"Malcolm? What did you do?" Ashley asked.

"I only followed instructions," said Malcolm, "from forces beyond my complete understanding. They told me I had to go get some things from the potions lab, showed me a secret way out of the room, and also gave me that spell that blocked The Genesis Spell."

"Impossible!" exclaimed Uva'zed, "nothing can block The Genesis Spell! Unless…" he then glared at Malcolm hatefully, "you didn't!"

"If I didn't we wouldn't be having this conversation," said Malcolm as he confidently crossed his arms.

"What _did _you do?" Tess asked cautiously.

"I cast Armageddon," said Malcolm. He then glared at Uva'zed, "that's right, I blocked The Genesis Spell with The Armageddon Spell."

"Impossible!" exclaimed Uva'zed.

"How the hell did you learn The Armageddon Spell?!" Roxas exclaimed.

"I told you, forces beyond my understanding," said Malcolm, "I'm pretty sure it's the same forces that gave me my Keyblade, the same forces that gave us all our Keyblades."

"Well, you'd think that the powers that be would make things easy for us once in a while," said Sora in an exasperated tone.

"But how did you stop The Genesis Spell?" Cordelia asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Cho asked, "two opposing forces, creation and destruction, canceling each other out."

"Like light and darkness, good and evil, balancing the equation," said Angelina.

"A logical explanation," said Professor McGonagall, "but incomplete. Such incredible power in both spells, one that can remake a world, the other that can destroy a world, all that magic coming together would have created a backlash that should have destroyed the castle at the very least."

"I'm afraid she's right," said Jill, "such powers can't be invoked without the high risk of collateral damage."

"We should be dead," said Andrew in a matter of fact tone.

"But we aren't," said Ashley in an astonished and joyful tone, "and I know why. Olivia, somehow she knew what was going to happen and concentrated her shield."

"That blue flash," said Tara, "the shield, it passed right through us and contained the energies of the two spells."

"They had it out and annihilated each other," said Malcolm. "It all fitted together."

"You still have me to deal with!" spat Uva'zall, "you may have stopped me this time, but I can still cast Genesis again," he then glared hatefully at Malcolm, "and I doubt that you can cast Armageddon any time soon!"

"True," said Malcolm, whom only now realized how tired he was, "I feel like I could sleep a week. I did use up the reagents for Armageddon, and I'm sure that Olivia's completely exhausted by now. I can't stop you, demon," he then smiled, "but I don't have to worry about that."

Just then the door burst open and in rushed Harry, Max and the others, "What happened!?" Harry shouted.

"We took care of it, Harry," said Neville, "or rather, Malcolm took care of everything."

"You haven't taken care of me!" spat Uva'zed. He then summoned a black sphere that pulsed with demonic energy, "you human filth! You're too much trouble to keep around! This will blast away everything within a hundred miles!"

"You'll be blasted too!" said Sora.

"I'll teleport out before it detonates!" said Uva'zed.

"You can't teleport in Hogwarts!" said Kylie, "you dummy!"

"I'm not a dummy," said Uva'zed, "I'm a demon! And proud of it! Now," he then held the sphere higher, "I drop this and Hogwarts, the village, the forest, the lake and your damn squid, you'll all be vaporized!"

"Oh, you've done it now," said Izzy irately, "you can insult Hogwarts, you can insult the teachers and my fellow students, but you leave Winston alone!" She then pulled out her wand and pointed it at Uva'zed, _"Expelliarmus!"_

With a flash, the demon sphere was shot out of Uva'zed's hands. It was a tense moment as everyone saw the sphere rise up into the air, even the demon was stunned into imoblization as he watched the sphere continue to go up.

But then Albus rushed forward as the sphere began to fall. He dove with his hands outstretched and caught the sphere just before it hit the ground. Everyone gasped in shock but then relaxed as they saw that the sphere didn't break.

"Good catch," said an impressed Ginny, "why haven't you tried out for the House team?"

"We can talk about that later," said Harry, "Albus, just hand the sphere over to Max, he'll know what to do."

"Like hell he will!" snapped Uva'zed, "you, boy! Give that back!" With that he rushed at Albus.

But Albus threw the sphere to Scorpio, whom caught it easily, "I wanted to play Quidditch," said Scorpio, "but Mother it is a little afraid of heights."

"I'll talk to your mother later," said Draco.

"You fleshlings are seriously grinding my gears!" shouted Uva'zed as he lunged at Scorpio, whom then tossed the sphere to Kylie, whom tossed it to Cass, whom tossed it back to Albus, whom then handed it to Max.

"I'm not that into sports," said Max, whom then handed it to Andrew.

"Neither am I," said Andrew as he pulled out a small device and used it to render the demon sphere innert, "but I'm good with bombs. Oh, Shawn? Violet? We'll talk later."

"Whenever you're ready," said Shawn, whom then added in a teasing manner, "grandpa."

"Oh, don't you dare push my buttons!" snapped Andrew as he pocketed his device, "not after the day I've had!" He then held up the inert demon sphere, "I ought to beat you to death with this!"

"And make Violet a widow before she could be married?" Jill asked, "I think not. You're going to let Shawn do the right thing and make our daughter an honest woman."

At that Andrew smiled, "you know, a shotgun wedding is just what I need to cheer me up," he then glared at Shawn, "as soon as we're done here, we're finding the nearest justice of the peace and have ourselves a wedding!"

"Can't we at least get look for a ring first?" Violet asked.

"You can even pick out a dress," said Andrew, "while I'll bake the cake."

"Oh, that's going to be so good!" said Cho happily.

"I'm still here, you human filth!" snapped Uva'zed.

"Oh, shut up!" snapped Tess. She summoned her Keyblade and pointed it at the demon, shooting a beam of golden light that ensnared the possessed wizard. Sora, Riku, Aiden and Roxas did the same with their Keyblades, completely immobilizing him.

"Let me go, you dribbling sacks of meat!" snapped Uva'zed as he struggled fruitlessly against the restraining beams.

"Now, that would just be plain silly for us to do that," said Aiden.

"Harry, Max!" said Riku, "he's all yours!"

"Couldn't we try that exorcism ritual of Carmen's?" Sora asked, "that'll get the demon out of him."

"I don't remember it," said Riku, "Kairi did but she's still out to lunch."

"We don't need an exorcism ritual," said Violet as she pulled out what looked like a B-movie ray gun, "not with this, another fusion of magic and science! And faith of course," she then pressed some small buttons on the ray gun.

"You can't possibly think that toy is going to work on me," said Uva'zed.

"I believe it will work," said Violet after she programmed the ray gun, "but then again, I won't know until I try, I've never used this in the field before, but now's as good a time as any." She then aimed the ray gun and shot a beam of white energy at the possessed wizard.

Uva'zed screamed in agony, then reared his head back. A huge cloud of living darkness erupted from the mouth of Louis Allgood, which then entered a small red portal and vanished back into the hellish dimension from whence it came. Free of the demon, Louis Allgood collapsed to the floor, completely unconscious.

"Success!" said Violet happily as she blew out a small bit of smoke from the barrel of the ray gun, then pocketed it.

"That thing might not have worked," said a shocked Professor McGonagall, "it could have killed young Allgood, and yet you used it."

"You want the demon back?" Violet asked.

"Don't antagonize her, Violet," said Jill, "I've known her longer than I've known you."

Just then Louis woke up, "what…? What happened?" he asked in a confused manner, "where am I?"

"it's a long story," said Tara.

"Tara Underhill?" Louis asked, "what happened to me?" He then blinked in shock and horror, "that thing! It was controlling me! It made me do all those horrible things!"

"It's gone and can't hurt you or anyone else again," said Violet in an assuring manner.

"At least not for a hundred years," said Aiden, "then it can come back. Unless an even greater evil raises it out from hell, then we're in trouble."

"Don't spoil the moment, Aiden," said Namine.

"Then is it over?" Rose asked.

"No, not just yet," said Malcolm as he walked up to the empty stone Pensive, "there's one more thing to do."

**The end of chapter 9.**

_Next chapter finds our heroes wrapping things up at Hogwarts, while another unexpected journey is about to begin. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!_


	10. Chapter 10: Memories and Nightmares

_Last time found our heroes caught between a rock and a hard place. A second group of masked wizards infiltrated Hogwarts and took Tess, Naminé, Tara, Jill, Professor McGonagall and several other girls hostage, forcing Sora, Riku, Aiden and Roxas to unseal The Sign of The Sacred Heart and free the memories of The Four Founders, in order to obtain The Genesis Spell and remake the world. Sora and the others stalled for time as Malcolm, acting on outside instruction, obtained the means to counter The Genesis Spell. One thing lead to another, resulting in a demon possessing one of the enemy wizards gaining The Genesis Spell and prepared to use it to plunge the world into chaos to feed the unending hunger of Chernabog. But Malcolm returned just in time to counter with The Armageddon Spell; the two forces of creation and destruction canceling each other out. The demon was then exorcized and our heroes congratulated themselves upon the end of the crisis. But then Malcolm said there was one more task at hand. 'Nuff said, on with the show!_

**Chapter 10: Memories and Nightmares**

"What do you have to do?" Sora asked.

"My memories," said Malcolm, "whatever powers that be that gave me The Armageddon Spell, the knowledge is still in my mind, the incantation of the spell and the list of reagents. I'm the only one on this world who knows how to cast Armageddon, and I want that knowledge out of my head."

"Why?" Slughorn asked, whom had apparently been watching for a while now, "my dear boy, you possess knowledge of the most powerful spell in all of existence."

"Not _the _most powerful," said Jessie, "there's still The Genesis Spell."

"Creation and destruction," said Malcolm, "two equally devastating powers that we mere humans shouldn't even think of having."

"This is your magical ethics talking, right?" Tess asked.

"In a nutshell," said Malcolm, "I've got Armageddon in my head, while Sora and everyone else present when that demon cast Genesis, they heard the words used in that spell."

"What words?" Sora asked, "they were any words I could understand, for both spells."

"It was no language I ever heard of," said J.D.

"Well, it made sense to me," said Malcolm, "and regardless of who did and didn't understand them, the words are still there," he then tapped his head, "in our subconscious minds."

"If they're in there," said Riku, "there's the possibility of remembering them."

"Or someone or something could make us remember them," said Aiden, "Maleficent and Xehanort, they'd love to their evil paws on our brains."

"Maleficent with The Armageddon Spell," said Sora, "not a pleasant thing to think about."

"We all are at risk," said Tara. She then looked at Professor McGonagall, "Headmistress, we all have to do what The Four Founders did. We have to forget both Genesis and Armageddon."

"The Memory Charm?" Kylie asked.

"A modified memory can be recovered," said Jessie.

"It is a difficult process," said Professor McGonagall, "and not always successful, but it is possible. There is a more effective alternative."

"Directly removing memories from the mind," said Ryo, "what a horrific suggestion."

"But necessary," said Cordelia, "it's the only way to make sure that no one else has the knowledge."

"Before we go anywhere with this," said Roxas, "let's just think about it. First, I'm all for forgetting The Genesis Spell, but maybe, just maybe, we can use Armageddon to our advantage."

"If you're thinking what I'm thinking," said Riku in a tone that was half eager, half appalled.

"We can use it to destroy Xehanort and Maleficent once and for all!" said Roxas.

"Don't you think I haven't thought of that already!?" exclaimed Malcolm, his expression betraying his torn feelings, "half of me wants to use it to get rid of our enemies, but the other half, a half that's far stronger and more in control, says it's way too much power for anyone to have. Lyssa Delgado had the power; it destroyed her and an entire planet.

"I used it only because I knew that if I cast it in opposition to The Genesis Spell, that combined with Olivia's shield, would cancel each other out without harming anyone else. But now, if I use it again, there's no telling how much would be destroyed, a country, an entire continent, a world, a solar system, the entire universe? I can't have that power in my head, I just can't!"

"No one should be forced to shoulder that responsibility," said Harry, "but Dumbledore told me that only those who don't wish for power truly deserve it. If you wish to give up your memories of the spell, it's your decision."

"But what about the rest of us?" Roxas asked.

"We shouldn't have that knowledge either," said Naminé, "if Maleficent ever found out, she'd rip us apart to get it."

"Then it's agreed," said Professor McGonagall in a determined tone, "we shall all have our memories of both spells removed from our minds." One by one the witches, wizards, meta humans and Keyblade Wielders whom were present when the spells were used nodded in agreement, with Roxas relenting at the end.

"But then what?" Tess asked, "what's going to happen to those memories? Are they going to be destroyed?"

"The Four Founders didn't destroy their memories," said Neville, "they clearly had a reason for keeping them locked away, sealed by The Sign."

"Even we knew not the true reasons of The Four Founders," said Wilhelm Price.

"Well, maybe we can follow their example," said Cho, "store our memories in this room and reseal The Sign."

"We'll also have to destroy all the clues to how we got to the room," said Angelina, "everything we did, it'll have to be erased."

"Or we could come up with our own means of protecting The Sign," said Sora, "I've got a few ideas."

"We'll have to forget what those ideas were," said Riku.

"But not that we did them," said Tess, "just that we did something important."

"It can be done," said Professor McGonagall, "it will take time, but it can be done."

"Before we have our memories removed," said Wilhelm Price, "there's two things I need to get off my chest," he then looked at Sora and the others, "there's no words in any language that can express how sorry my comrades and I are for what we tried to do to you."

"Considering that you tried to murder us," said Aiden, "it'd be awfully decent of you to try."

"They were doing only what they thought was right," said Riku, "I don't like it, but they believed that they were acting for the greater good."

"Our reasons were flawed!" snapped Wilhelm Price, "I realize that now, though I wished with all my heart that my group had realized it before we put you and your friends through so much trouble.

"We were lead to believe that you would be the ones to use The Genesis Spell, not The Nemesis group, not the white-cloaks, and certainly not the demon. Uva'zed was a lose cannon that none of us could have seen coming, but my group was mislead by an outsider whom told us The Keyblade Wielders were the enemy."

"Who, then?" Harry asked.

"We had never seen her before," said Wilhelm Price, "a woman who entered our meeting place through a shimmering gray wall that connected our world to another. This woman, Columbina, she called himself, told us that you Keyblade Wielders would destroy the world and that we had to destroy you before you got to The Genesis Spell."

"It was only after we had abandoned Regina and her ilk that we realized that we had been deceived, that the white-cloaks were on the move and that Columbina lied to us in order for my group to destroy you, or at least slow you down."

"Why would this Columbina lie about us?" Tess asked, "why would she want us dead? What'd we ever do to her?"

"I don't know," said Sora, "but I've got a feeling that we've got another enemy."

"As if we didn't have enough to begin with," said a disgruntled Aiden. He then pressed his wrists, "alright, let's get this memory removal thing over with!"

* * *

And done it was. One by one, everyone present when the demon cast Genesis had their memories of the spell words removed, as well as the words of Armageddon, while Slughorn forgot the reagents and Malcolm forgot both words and reagents.

Once all the memories had been pulled out via wands and placed in the stone pensive, Sora, Riku, Aiden and Tess, because she asked to do it, resealed the container with their Keyblades, then added further protection with the assistance of their wizardly friends.

At the same time, all the notes that had been made on their quest to solve the mystery of The Sign had been burned and the ashes scattered to the wind. The box that contained the message from The Four Founders was determined to be too precious to destroy, so it was resealed back in the old classroom, while the original book that had the image of the woodcarving was placed back in the special section of The Library.

It wasn't long before life at Hogwarts returned to normal. All the parents of the students were happily reunited with their children. The scene of joy was made even more joyful when Professor McGonagall declared an extended holiday, all classes on Monday would be canceled to celebrate not only the end of the siege and the defeat of the demon, but also the announcement of Shawn and Violet's engagement.

"Are you sure that's wise, Professor McGonagall?" Hermione asked in an uncomfortable tone as they all returned to The Great Hall, "canceling classes like that."

"Oh, just relax, Hermione," said Neville, "we all deserve a chance to unwind. Andrew, is there any more of that BBQ?"

"I'm afraid it's all been devoured at lunch," said Andrew, "not surprising really, considering how much everyone liked it," he then looked at his watch, "but I've got two hours until dinner, I'm sure I can whip up a new feast that everyone will enjoy," he then looked at Aiden, "you still want to learn how to be a better cook?"

"You'd better believe it," said Aiden eagerly.

"Mind if we tag along?" Roxas asked as he and Naminé followed Aiden and Andrew to the kitchen, "since we had our memories pulled out, I feel like I need to fill my mind with something."

"Me too," said Naminé, "it's like my mind is a bit out of balance."

"I feel that way too," said Sora, while Riku and the others nodded in agreement.

"A minor side effect of removing a memory," said Jessie, "it should wear off in a while."

"Thanks, but I'd rather restore the balance in my brain," said Aiden, "Equivalent Exchange, you know." With that he, Andrew, Roxas and Naminé, headed for the kitchens.

"It's strange," said Tess, "I know we did something great and fantastic, something that kept the entire universe safe, that we stopped another of Chernabog's disgusting plans, but the details of the end battle are…gone, it's just plain strange."

"You think forgetting a few things is weird?" Sora asked, "I pretty much had my brain reset while I slept for a year," he then looked at Riku, "and you still haven't told us what you and Ansem did while I was in hibernation."

"Sorry, Sora," said Riku, "but there are some secrets that I've got to keep."

"Sorry I asked," muttered Sora.

"Hey, wait a second," said Tess in a distant tone, "I just thought of something. Remember when we were fighting The Wamphyri?"

"Like I could ever forget them," said Riku, "wait, are you talking about The Twins? Reina and Rita?"

"Aiden's girlfriends who can turn into dragons?" Malcolm asked, he then stubbornly crossed his arms, "my girlfriend is better. Which reminds me," he then summoned his enchanted writing desk, "I've got to write a letter to Merida. We've been so busy, she must be worried sick that I haven't written to her," he then looked at his writing desk, "oh, she hasn't written to me either, I wonder what's up?" he then walked over to a corner, sat down and began writing."

"I've got a feeling that he's going to be alright," said Tess. She then looked at Sora, "what I was saying about The Twins is that they had their memories removed as well."

"You mean like what we just did?" Sora asked, "someone took a wand to their heads and pulled their memories out? You really think that's what happened to them?"

"It's a distinct possibility," said Tess, "we won't know until we meet up with them again, and who knows when that will be?"

"Knowing how much trouble we get into," said Riku, "it could be as soon as tomorrow."

Just then J.D. walked up to Sora, "don't you think it would be wise to check in on someone?"

"Kairi!" exclaimed Sora. With that he ran for the Hospital Wing, but then ran back in, "I can't remember where it is!" he then hurried towards the nearest group of students, four 1st Year Slytherins, "where's The Hospital Wing?" he asked franticly.

The 1st Year students all then gave Sora different directions, leading to different areas of the castle.

"That's democracy for you," said Jessie as she walked up to Sora, "come on, I'll show you where to go," with that she lead Sora off to The Hospital Wing, with J.D. shortly behind them.

"They'll be alright," said Riku.

"Then why aren't you smiling?" Tess asked.

"I can't help but feel that Maleficent is going to try something," said Riku.

"Can we not worry about Maleficent for a while?" Malcolm asked as he looked up from his writing, "and while we're at it, forget about Xehanort for a bit. They're all the way out in another world somewhere."

"Castle Oblivion," said Harry, "one of them said Castle Oblivion."

"So that's what happened!" exclaimed Riku, "Ansem said that he and The King had been looking for Castle Oblivion but it's gone. It makes sense that Xehanort set up shop there and did something to make the world disappear."

"And now that Maleficent's working with him," said Tess, "they…

"If they were going to try something, they would have done so by now," said Malcolm, "so why can't you just relax and enjoy yourselves?"

"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you," said Jill, "but, being too paranoid is unhealthy. So yeah, just put your feet up and relax."

"You know," said Tess to Riku, "I can't find any flaws in their logic."

"I can't argue with you either," said Riku. With that they started talking with the many students, while Malcolm looked over what he had written so far.

He had started his letter with an apology to Merida for not writing sooner, with the excuse of being overwhelmed by all that had happened. He then summarized the quest for The Sign, what could be remembered, as well as the battles with the villains and the demon.

_It's strange, Merida, I can still remember nearly everything, but the words to The Armageddon Spell is lost to me forever, unless I try to get the memories out of The Room of Requirement, which I'll never try to. That spell is too powerful, too much of a responsibility and I want nothing to do with it. Whatever powers that be that gave me that spell, they can go hang themselves if they want me to use it again._

_There's still the chance that someone might figure out everything that we did and try to unseal The Sign. But I heard that Wilhelm Price and his fellow black-cloaks are going to be true to their vows and keep watch for anyone stupid enough to go after the spells. Hopefully this time around, they'll be more willing to trust others and ask for help when needed._

_Again, I'm so sorry that I hadn't written to you in so long, you must have been worried sick. On the other hand, you haven't written to me in a while either. Are you alright? What about your friends and family? Are things alright in your kingdom?_

_I can only hope that all will be well and that the next adventure for me and my friends doesn't involve such universal stakes._

_Know that you are and always will be in my heart. With much love and light,_

_Malcolm_

* * *

**…The Hospital Wing…**

"She's still asleep," said Sora as he stood next to Kairi's bed, "how much longer until she wakes up?'

"Mr. Wallace?" Madam Pomfrey asked, while Jessie looked at J.D. with curious eyes.

"Just a moment, if you don't mind," said J.D. he then placed his hands on both sides of Kairi's head and concentrated for a few seconds, "her mind is healing quite nicely. Another day or so of quiet rest and she'll be right as rain again. Tomorrow morning at the earliest."

"Tomorrow morning," said Sora. He then gave Kairi's hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze. He was then surprised to find that she squeezed back and smiled slightly.

"Unconsciously, she knows you're here," said J.D., "a good sign."

Just then Ashley came into the room, followed by two Bureau agents carrying Olivia on a stretcher.

"She's awake," said Ashley to Madam Pomfrey as Olivia was brought over to a nearby bed, "but exhausted. She used nearly everything she had in order to contain both spells."

"Makes you wonder what she was thinking during this whole horrific ordeal," said J.D.

"She's not talking," said Ashley, "except for a few words in Russian, and in a very hard to understand accent, I admit."

Sora then walked over to Olivia, whom looked up at him with tired but confident and happy eyes. She then raised her right hand and gave Sora the thumbs-up. Sora then walked over and gave her the thumbs-up as well.

"Thank you," said Sora, "for everything."

Olivia then replied in Russian, but Sora guessed that she was saying 'your welcome.'

Sora then nodded his thanks again, then looked back at Kairi, "I'll see you in the morning," then went back down to The Great Hall.

He found to his astonishment that a full party was in swing. Once again the house tables had been removed and several small tables set up as buffet tables. All over were multi-colored streamers and balloons and other party favors.

"This can't just be for our winning, is it?" Sora asked as he reached Riku, Tess and Malcolm.

"Oh, it's more than that," said Riku.

"I'm surprised that they got things together so soon," said Tess.

Just then Aiden ran up to them, "that Andrew is a genius in the kitchen! Not only did he pull out several recipes and directed The House Elves into getting them ready in only half an hour, but he's still down there with Naminé and Roxas, baking a cake."

"What kind of cake?" Sora asked, "I hope it's chocolate."

A short time later he was answered as Andrew, Roxas and Naminé, accompanied by Tara, Izzy and Rose, the later two were wheeling in a huge chocolate and vanilla cake with strawberry frosting and decorated with various fruits. The confection was thirteen layers thick and was big enough for everyone to have at least two pieces.

After receiving a huge congratulating applause and cheer from the party attendants, Andrew cleared his throat to make a speech, "I'm glad you like the cake, I only hope you all enjoy eating it as much as you like looking at it." This caused a short laugh from everyone.

"But I'm not here to talk about my cooking," said Andrew, "on the other hand, I could go all night about my kitchen adventures."

"Get on with it!" shouted Izzy, "remember the plan!"

"What plan?" Neville asked.

"I'll get to that in a minute," said Andrew, "now, I'm not really one to make long speeches, so I'll keep this short and sweet, much like the cake, except this cake is anything but short.

"Anyway, this weekend has been one seriously bizarre and somewhat traumatizing event for Hogwarts. But unlike previous traumatic events at Hogwarts, we were able to resolve this conflict with only a handful of brave souls giving their lives for the sake of those who wish to live their lives in peace and happiness."

"A toast to the honored dead!" shouted Max as he raised a wineglass. Everyone then raised their glasses of whatever they were drinking, "to Juanita Alberez, Yuri Davslovich and Sara Katzenberg, three proud and brave Meta Humans whom I was proud to serve alongside in the war against evil. To the honored dead!"

"To the honored dead!" said Sora and the others.

"And to the brave souls of the black cloaked wizards!" said Hermione, "whom sacrificed so much for a thousand years for the sake of our world and all of existence."

Sora then noticed that Wilhelm Price and his fellow black-cloaks weren't at the party. He guessed that they weren't the kind of people who liked to hang around when it wasn't necessary.

"Here's to Olivia Kursk!" said Ashley, "whom risked her life and sanity to keep Hogwarts safe during this time of crisis!"

"Olivia Kursk!"

"And to the many brave young students of Hogwarts whom endured this nightmarish ordeal!" said Professor McGonagall, "whom displayed the qualities that The Four Founders were so fond of."

"Don't forget the teachers!" shouted Alison, "they're no small change either!"

"And most of all, to Sora and his fellow Keyblade Wielders!" said Andrew, "without whom, all might have been lost!"

"You don't think they might be secretly blaming us for this?" Tess whispered to Sora and Riku.

"It's possible," said Riku, "one thing about being a Keyblade Wielder, wherever we go, trouble is right around the corner."

"Ain't that the truth," said Sora.

"There's more!" said Andrew, "the other day, I learned that my eldest child, my adopted daughter, Violet, is going to be a mother," he then took a second to compose himself, "at first, I was shocked and angry, partly at Violet and her lover, but I was also afraid. I mean, what father wouldn't be afraid of being a grandfather at 36, 37 by the time the baby comes.

"But I've had time to clear my somewhat disturbed head and feel much better about the situation. I'm not psychic, I don't have visions of the future so I can't know what's going to happen. But one thing is for sure," he then walked up to Violet and Shawn, "I'm ready to be a grandpa, and a father in law."

At that Violet and Shawn happily embraced Andrew, with Jill soon joining them, while everyone happily cheered them.

"There's still more!" shouted Izzy. She then looked at Rose, whom nodded in agreement. She then ran out of the room in an excited manner.

"What are you up to?" Hermione asked Izzy suspiciously, "what manner of mischief have you involved my daughter?"

"James? Is this another of your pranks?" Ginny asked sternly.

"I have no idea what cousin Rose is up to," James said innocently, "honest," he then looked at Albus, "just what is going on?"

"Something we had hoped to wait until Christmas," said James.

"You can't be serious," said Scorpio to Izzy, "you want to do it now?"

"Why not now?" Izzy asked in return.

"Because we're not ready!" said Albus, "we still have to get more people involved, there's still the invitations to send out and Andrew hasn't baked the cake yet."

"This cake is just as good as any," said Andrew.

Rose then wheeled in a smaller cart that had a large package wrapped in red and gold paper and tied with a red and gold ribbon. She then pushed the cart up to Professor McGonagall.

"Headmistress," said Rose, while Albus, Izzy and Scorpio stood by her, "the other day, we did something…questionable."

"We snuck into Hogsmeade," said Scorpio.

"You did what!?" exclaimed Draco, "just you wait until your mother hears about this!"

"Oh, like you never broke any serious rules, Malfoy," said Ron. He then mouthed to Rose, 'took you long enough.'

"We had a very good reason for doing it, Professor McGonagall," said Albus, "you see, we know that you don't like to make a big deal of your birthday and we decided to do something about it anyway."

"That's a very generous notion you had, Potter," said Professor McGonagall, "but still…"

"I know, we broke the rules," said Albus, "we're in serious trouble."

"But at least open our present," said Izzy, "we had to go to Hogsmeade in order to get it without anyone else knowing."

At that Tara let out a cough of surprise, but stifled it quickly.

"We'll accept whatever punishment you deem fit, Headmistress," said Scorpio, "but before you throw us into detention for the next five years, would you please see what we worked so hard to get?"

"Actually, I paid for most of it," said Izzy, "but the idea for it came from the others."

Cautiously, still feeling that she shouldn't do it, Professor McGonagall opened the present. Beneath the wrapping paper was a wooden box, about 5'X7'X1' in dimensions. Professor McGonagall opened the box and gasped in surprise. She then used her wand to levitate what was in the box out into the open.

It was a perfect miniature of Hogwarts, exact in every detail from the castle walls, towers and every window, while parts of the castle opened up to reveal The Great Hall, the greenhouses, the various classrooms and even the House Common Rooms, and the whole things was enchanted so that all you had to do was think of whatever part of the inside of Hogwarts you wanted and it would be there for you to see.

"This is incredible," said Professor McGonagall in an astonished tone

"There's an inscription in The Great Hall," said James, "just think and it'll show up."

Sora and several others crowded around to read the inscription as it appeared…

_To Professor McGonagall,_

_Thank you for everything you've done for all of us at Hogwarts. May this token of our appreciation show our love for you and our school._

_Albus Potter, Rose Weasley, Isobel Ashcroft and Scorpio Malfoy._

"I…I don't know what to say," said an overwhelmed Professor McGonagall, tears of happiness brimming in her eyes, "you four…are just plain wonderful!" With that she happily embraced Albus, Rose, Izzy and Scorpio.

"I take it she likes it," said James to his parents.

"You sure you didn't have anything to do with this?" Ginny asked.

"I wish I did," said James.

"There's always next year," said Harry.

"Don't you think we should tell her?" Ron asked Hermione in a hushed tone, "McGonagall, that the leader of the black-cloaks was a friend of hers?"

"Tobias Beachwood," said Hermione in a whisper, "he was at Hogwarts with McGonagall. He was Head Boy opposite her when she was Head Girl. They were good friends," she then looked at Professor McGonagall, whom was happily showing the model of Hogwarts to all the students, "no, we shouldn't tell her, not today."

"Best not ruin this moment of joy for her," said Ginny, "if anyone deserves a moment in the sun, it's Minerva McGonagall."

"For once, we're in agreement," said Draco, "and if you ever quote me on it, I'll deny it in The Wizgenmot."

"Let's hope that if we ever agree on anything again," said Harry, "it won't involve the end of the world."

"Agreed, Potter," said Draco.

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion…**

"There," said Xehanort as he finished adjusting The Interocitor, "let's see what we can see inside Hogwarts." he then pressed a button on the remote and the image shimmered, then cleared to reveal the impromptu party.

"Well, would you look at that," said Dio Brando irately as he and the other villains glared at everyone in The Great Hall, first focusing on Professor McGonagall, Albus, Rose, Izzy and Scorpio, then on Andrew, Jill, Shawn and Violet, then on Sora's group.

"They really got lucky this time," said Gaston, "I would have smashed them all if I had the chance."

"As would I," remarked Lady Tremaine.

"Oh, be silent, will you!" snapped Regina in a sour tone, "I'm in a bad mood."

"As am I," said Maleficent, "I am becoming increasingly disappointed with this experiment," she glared at Lady Tremaine and Regina, "perhaps I would have been better off if I had left you in that hospital where I found you!"

"I should have left this brute in the hospital too," said Insano as he pointed at Gaston, "this has been a complete waste of time and resources. If I had my way, I'd reverse the genetic enhancements and leave him a crippled sack of protoplasm."

"Say that again!" Gaston shouted irately as he raised his fist to smash Insano's face in, "I dare you!"

"Would you kindly sit down and be civil?" Insano asked.

With that Gaston sat down and held his tongue. But then he blinked and glared at Insano, "what did you do to me?"

"Changed you for the better," said Insnao as he eyed his gloves, searching for holes, "or worse, depending on how you looked at it."

"I mean what you did to my head!" snapped Gaston, "everything you say 'would you kindly,' I end up doing whatever you ask me to do!"

"It is uncanny," said Sephiroth, "did you implant a mental suggestion that compels him to obey?"

"Maybe I did," said Insano, "maybe I didn't!" he then giggled like the madman he was.

"Regardless," said Xehanort, "this endeavor has indeed proved to be a waste of time and resources."

"We should have used this as a chance to inflict a tone of mischief on The Realms of Light!" said Dio Brando, "with Sora and his bratty friends out of the way, we could have wiped out all those idiots on Radiant Garden and the other worlds!"

"Or at the very least," said Sephiroth, "launched a rein of terror."

"We may still," said Maleficent.

Just then there came the sound of a beeping that came from Maleficent's pocket. Confused, Maleficent reached into her pocket and pulled out a cell phone with a pink casing. The screen was flashing with an 'incoming message' signal.

"Where'd you get that?" Dio Brando asked.

"I assume it belonged to my host," said Maleficent in a puzzled tone, "yet she came from a world with limited technology."

"Well, don't keep us in suspense," said Regina, "what does the message say?"

Maleficent pressed a button that accepted the message. The screen then showed a flag of some kind. The embalm was that of two serpentine dragons, one black, the other blue, entwined around a crest that showed a white alien skull.

The embalm then vanished, followed by several lines of alien script.

"Now what?" Lady Tremaine asked.

Insano then pulled out his mobile device and downloaded the message from Maleficent's phone, "I'll get this translated right away," he said.

"Don't bother," said Xehanort, "you might as well delete that message and forget all about it. We don't need them, nor do we want anything to do with them."

"What are you talking about, old man?" Gaston asked.

"Now I remember," said Maleficent, "that embalm is of the Space Empire Zangyak."

"Zangyak?" Dio Brando asked, "aren't those the guys The Puppeteer told the brats about?"

"The ones poised to invade the Earth those Super Sentai belonged to," said Regina, "but why would they want to talk to us?"

"It is of no importance!" said Xehanort in an annoyed tone, "we don't need them and nether do we want anything to do with them!"

"What's your problem?" Dio Brando asked.

"Nothing!" snapped Xehanort, "nothing!" with that he abruptly stood up and walked out of the room.

"He's got a problem," said Dio Brando.

"Indeed," said Sephiroth. With that he stood up and followed Xehanort out of the room.

"Well," said Maleficent as she pocketed her phone, "that was a mild distraction." she then picked up the remote for The Interocitor.

"You sure you know how to use that?" Dio Brando asked.

"I've seen it's use enough," said Maleficent. She then made the image focus on Sora again, "you and your friends may have won yet again, but I refuse to accept total defeat!"

"What are you going to do?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"I hope it's something fitting," said Regina, "oh, wait, it may not be, what with your limited powers and such."

"Just keep insulting me, Regina," said Maleficent, "I have a long memory," she tapped her head, "I have a full tally of all that I owe all whom have crossed me. Now," she then pulled the image on the screen back so that it showed Sora, Riku, Aiden, Tess, Naminé, Roxas and Malcolm, "I may not be able to physically hurt you," she then changed the image so now it showed Kairi sleeping in The Hospital wing, "but I can still make you suffer."

"Oh, you're going to mess with Kairi," said Dio Brando in an eager tone, "what, are you going to give her the face of a warthog?"

"I heard that Sora is very good friends with a warthog on The Pridelands," said Regina.

"Friends with animals," said Lady Tremaine, "truly these heroes have no sense of shame."

"I was thinking of a more…subtle, attack," said Maleficent, "subtle, but devastating."

"Enlighten us then," said Regina.

"I plan on breaking Sora's heart," said Maleficent, "by turning his one true love against him."

"And how are you going to do that?" Insano asked.

"By first calling in a favor," said Maleficent, "I shall need time to perform a mid-level demon summoning, roughly ten minutes or so," she then glared at Insano, "and you, madman! You can use that time to go fetch Xehanort. No doubt he will want to witness the beginning of Sora's end!"

"Why should I go fetch Xehanort?" Insano asked, "I'm a scientist, not an errand boy!"

"Then get muscles here to do it," said Lady Tremaine.

"I will not!" snapped Gaston, "it's bad enough that I'm addicted to destruction. I refuse to be humiliated any more!"

"Would you kindly go fetch Xehanort?" Insano asked, "and go get Sephiroth as well?"

At that Gaston stood up and walked towards the door. "One of these's days, madman!" he shouted at Insano, "one of these days, I'll rip that twisted tongue of yours out and make you swallow it!"

"Am I the only one who thinks that man has an annoying voice?" Insano asked.

"Oh, and your voice is like a canary song," said an irate Lady Tremaine.

"Bicker all you want," said Maleficent, "but I need ten minutes of quiet to summon the demon."

"Just what demon are you summoning?" Regina asked.

"One not as abominable as Vivian," said Maleficent, "but is still powerful enough for my purpose." She then sat down and began meditating.

* * *

Sephiroth caught up with Xehanort in a room where a large, gothic machine stood waiting. The device crackled with dark yellow lightning and hummed in an insidious tone.

"Is this it?" Sephiroth asked as he looked at the machine, "is this how you shall combine Ventus and Vanitus into The X-Blade?"

"The device is far from completion," said Xehanort, "there are several key components that need to be constructed by Insano, as well as the necessary item of Ven's heart. But I'm a patient man, I've waited this long for the X-Blade, I can wait until Sora's been tormented enough."

"And you can bring back Organization XIII," said Sephiroth, "Or was that just a misdirection to keep myself and Dio Brando off your back?"

"I'm a man of many secrets," said Xehanort, "and many misleading ideals. A single lie is more interesting than a thousand truths, or so I've been told. Then again, that maxim may have been a lie."

"Will you at least give me this one truth?" Sephiroth, "what is it about the Space Empire Zangyak that has upset you so?"

"You just had to ask me that, didn't you?" Xehanort asked irately, "well, in a nutshell, I hate Zangyak, especially their emperor, Akudos Gill, and before you ask, I had a rather unpleasant run-in with Akudos Gill when I was much younger, and no, I do not want to talk about it."

"I've heard enough," said Sephiroth, "but aren't you at least curious as to what Akudos Gill wants from you? And how do you even know that the message was from the emperor?"

"Who else from Zangyak would want to contact me?" Xehanort asked, "I know none of the imperial generals or action commanders, and as for Akudos Gill's heir, Warz Gill, he is a paranoid, hysterical idiot. No, I don't think anyone else from Zangyak sent that message."

Just then Gaston entered the room, "you might want to come back and see this," he said.

* * *

A few minutes later found Xehnaort, Sephiroth and Gaston returned to The Interocitor Room, just as Maleficent finished her meditations.

"Now," said the mistress of all evil as she stood up, "come forth, Jokip!"

A red dimensional gate opened up in the air and spat out a small blue and green devil-like demon wearing orange and white stripped pajamas that was fast asleep. It hovered in midair, snoring mildly.

"That's the demon who owes you a favor?" Regina asked.

"This simple creature has exactly what I need to make Kairi turn on Sora," said Maleficent. She then glared at the demon, "Jokip! Wake up!" but the demon only snored in response.

"Not a very reliable demon, if I may say so," remarked Regina.

"I said wake up, you fool!" snapped Maleficent as she tossed a small green fireball at the sleeping demon, hitting it in the behind and knocking it to the ground. The demon woke up with a surprised yelp.

It then looked up at Maleficent with tired eyes and yawned, "oh, it's you. Has it been twenty-five years already?"

"No," said Maleficent, "only seventeen years since our last encounter."

"Then why did you wake me!?" the demon, Jokip, asked irately as it yawned again, "my species needs at least a quarter-century of hibernation time in order to recharge our dream magic."

"I have but a simple task for you, Jokip," said Maleficent, "then you can return to your restorative slumber." She then indicated the image of Kairi on the screen, "you see that human child? The one whose mental defenses have been recently lowered?"

"The redhead?" Jokip asked, "she's a looker, that's for sure," he then looked up at Maleficent, "you want a nightmare for her?"

"One so traumatizing that it will shatter her conception of reality," said Maleficent. She then made The Interocitor display a split screen, with the left image showing Kairi and the right showing Sora, "I want her so terrified of that boy that she with flee at the mere sight of him, and I want that fear to evolve into hate."

"That big of a nightmare, huh?" Jokip asked as he smiled lazily, "it's gonna cost you."

"Are you going to stand there and let that thing talk to you that way?" Lady Tremaine asked, "of all the insolence!"

"The demons I've worked with were at least respectful," said Regina.

"This demon and I have history," said Maleficent, "and no, I do not wish to talk about it." She then looked down at Jokip, "how many this time?"

"Thirty souls," said Jokip, "and not the old, shriveled up kind. I like my souls young, fresh and recently damned."

"You'll find your souls waiting for you at your domical upon completion and delivery of the nightmare," said Maleficent.

"Where do you have thirty young souls stashed?" Dio Brando asked.

"And where did you get them?" Regina asked.

"I have my methods," said Maleficent. She then glared down at Jokip, "now, I expect nothing but the best that you have to offer."

"Okie-dokie!" said Jokip. He then began forming a mass of demonic energy in his hands that expanded into a sphere that pulsated with dark purple light, "let's see now…a bit of this…a bit of that…a little of this…a little of that…one of those and a pinch of reality just for fun and…there," he then presented the sphere to Maleficent, "this'll scare all feelings of love for the kid right out of the redhead. Can I go back to bed now?"

"Patience, my friend," said Maleficent, "wait until the end results," she then cast a spell that sent the sphere between worlds. On the screen, the sphere materialized over Kairi and dropped onto her head, absorbing into her mind. Instantly, she began moving in an agitated state, her face betraying a sensation of fear.

"I'd give real gold to find out what's messing with her," said Dio Brando.

"Oh, it's not that big a deal," said Jokip, "the nightmare is warping her memories of the boy. Instead of one she loves, she sees him as a monster, one with mad green eyes, teeth like a hagfish, slime-drenched tentacles for hands and a few extra tentacles for effect. I thought about giving him horns but that seemed like overkill. By now, redhead is being chased by tentacle-boy, while seeing her other friends being kiled by tentacle-boy as they try to protect her, then rise up as tentacle-zombies."

"Oh, nice touch," said Regina, "now she'll fear and hate her friends as well."

"Yeah, I figured that would be a nice touch," said Jokip as he rubbed his eyes, "though now that I think of it, maybe going with the horns would have been a good idea."

"What you did was enough," said Maleficent, "and so far the results are most pleasing."

"And this nightmare will make Kairi fear and hate Sora?" Xehanort asked.

"She'll be so freaked out by him, she'll tear down a wall in order to get away from him one minute, then tear down another wall to destroy him the next," said Jokip. He then yawned and looked at Maleficent, "can I go now? I really need my rest."

"Just a little longer, my friend," said Maleficent, "as soon as Kairi wakes up and we see for certain her terror of Sora, then you may return to your hibernation."

"We may not have long to wait," said Sephiroth as he pointed to the image of Sora, whom was looking seriously agitated, "he senses something."

"His one true love in distress," said Regina in a viciously eager tone, "this will be interesting."

* * *

**…Hogwarts…The Great Hall…**

While everyone else was enjoying the impromptu feast, Sora was feeling more and more agitated. Something was wrong, he could feel it, but he couldn't tell what, but whatever it was, he felt it worrying his heart like a worm tunneling its way through soil.

"Man, it's a shame Kairi had to miss everything," said Aiden, "I mean, I'm glad she's going to be alright, and that she slept through the mess with the demon, but I just know she's going to be upset that she wasn't there to help us solve all the clues, whatever they were."

"At least her memory doesn't have a big hole in it," said Tess, "but she's not going to be happy that she missed two feasts."

"I'll be sure to save her some of this one," said Andrew, "and I'll be sure to invite her to my next BBQ."

All of a sudden, Sora heard, or rather felt, someone screaming, a scream that came from an all-too familiar voice.

"Oh, no!" he said in a panicked tone, "Kairi!" with that he ran as fast as he could out of The Great Hall.

"What's got his knickers in a knot?" Lancaster asked in-between mouthfuls of pecan pie.

"I don't know," said Riku in a concerned tone, "but if Sora feels anything bad that involves Kairi, then you know it's got to be trouble, come on!" with that he, Tess and Malcolm followed Sora, with Aiden, Roxas and Naminé shortly behind them, followed by Tara, Yasmine and several others.

Running on pure instinct, Sora found a secret passage that lead him right to The Hospital Wing. Right outside the door he heard another scream, only this one was real. He burst through the door and saw Kairi thrashing about on her bed, while Madam Pomfrey tried to calm her down.

"What happened!?" Sora exclaimed as he rushed over to the bed and helped Madam Pomfrey restrain Kairi.

"I don't know," said Madam Pomfrey in a serious tone, "one moment she was resting comfortably, completely oblivious to the world, the next she's screaming he lungs out."

"No!" shouted Kairi in a weak tone, "no! Stay away! Don't hurt me!"

"Kairi!" said Sora, "it's alright, Kairi, wake up! You're having a nightmare, that's all, so wake up!"

Kairi gave one more scream, then fell back against her bed. She then opened her eyes and looked around.

"Kairi!" said Sora in a relieved tone, "you're okay."

"What?" Kairi asked, her eyes focusing on Madam Pomfrey, "what happened? Why am I in the hospital?"

"You were infected with wasp venom that damaged your mind," said Madam Pomfrey, "as well as cause you to have a horrific nightmare, apparently. I'm going to have to have a word with J.D. Wallace about his psychic treatments."

"But you're okay now, Kairi," said Sora in a reassuring tone, "you're okay."

Kairi then looked at Sora. For a second she looked at him in confusion, but then her eyes widened in terror. To her, Sora appeared as the tentacle-monster from her nightmare.

"Kairi?" Sora asked, but all Kairi heard from her twisted vision of him was a demonic growling as drool fell from the hagfish-like maw of the monster.

"Get away from me!" she shouted as she shoved Sora from her and backed up towards the head of the bed, "don't you touch me, you slimy bastard!"

"Kairi?" Sora asked in a confused tone as he reached a comforting hand towards her, but she shied away from his hand, seeing it as a slime-covered tentacle.

"Leave me alone, you monster!" exclaimed Kairi.

"Now I know I need to talk with Mr. Wallace," said Madam Pomfrey.

"Leave me alone!" shouted Kairi as she stood up, jumped over Sora and landed on the floor, then bolted for the door.

"Kairi!" shouted Sora as he ran after her.

In the corridor outside, Kairi ran for her life as, to her addled mind, the tentacle monster chased after, it's slime-covered appendages writing in anticipation of ensnaring and squeezing the life out of her, while its hagfish mouth expanded and contracted, as if eager to bite and suck out her soul.

Riku and the others then ran into the corridor ahead of Kairi. They saw her in her terrified state.

"Kairi!" shouted Tess. This got her attention and Kairi looked straight ahead. Instead of her friends, she saw zombified versions of Riku, Aiden, Tess, Malcolm, Roxas and Naminé, with all of them having sprouted tentacles out of their heads.

"No!" Kairi wailed as she skidded to a halt, "No! NO!" she then began to back away from them.

"What's wrong with her?" Naminé asked, "I can feel that her heart is experiencing mortal terror."

"She had a nightmare," said Sora as he caught up with them. He was standing ten paces behind Kairi, while Riku and the others were ten paces in front of her.

"Must have been one doozy of a nightmare," said Roxas.

Kairi then kept looking ahead and behind, seeing both the tentacle monster and the zombies, as if trying to decide which was worse, all the while her fear grew in intensity.

"Just calm down, Kairi," said Sora as he held out his hands in a placating manner, "we're not here to hurt you."

"We're you're friends," said Riku.

But all Kairi heard from Sora was a hungry growl, while Riku let out a zombie moan.

"Stay away from me!" she exclaimed, "just leave me alone, you monsters!"

"She sees us as monsters?" Aiden asked.

"That ain't right at all!" said Tess.

"Kairi, please," said Sora as he took a step towards her, "please, it's me, Sora." he then took another step towards her.

"Don't!" shouted J.D. as he, Ashley and Jessie caught up with them, "don't agitate her any more! Give her a chance to calm down!"

But Kairi saw that the tentacle monster was closing in on her. She decided that she would rather take her chances with the zombies than the tentacle monster and charged forward, shoving her way past Riku and the others, only to collide with Tara, whom had taken another route to The Hospital Wing.

The two of them went down in a heap, both landing on the floor, while a small gold object on a thin gold chain was dislodged from around Tara's neck and slid across the floor.

"What the bloody hell!?" exclaimed Tara as she untangled herself from Kairi.

"She's not herself!" said Sora as he, Riku and the others caught up.

"Looks like I have to fix her head again," said J.D.

"Not on your life, mister!" said Madam Pomfrey, "you've damaged her enough!"

"Well, if you can figure out what's wrong with her," said J.D., "I'm all ears."

"We've got to calm her down first," said Sora. He then looked at her, "Kairi, please."

"NO!" exclaimed Kairi as she backed up against the wall and summoned her Keyblade and held it out. Her warped vision showed her only zombie versions of everyone, while the tentacle monster was edging closer and closer.

"You thing!" shouted Kairi as she pointed her Keyblade at Sora, "what did you do with Sora!"

"I am Sora!" he said, "you're still having a nightmare, Kairi! You've got to wake up!"

"She's wide awake," said J.D., "it's her perception that's been changed."

"Just what the hell is going on here?" Tess asked.

"Knowing us," said Aiden, "it could be anything."

"Kairi, please, calm down," said Sora as he took a step closer to Kairi.

"NO!" Kairi shouted, her fear turning into outrage. With her face set with frightened but determined fury, she rushed at Sora, "Die, monster, die!"

Out of reflex, Sora summoned his Keyblade and brought it up in time to block her attack that would have impaled him through the heart, "Kairi!" he shouted, "you've got to stop this!"

"You may have killed Sora and turned my friends into mindless ghouls!" snapped Kairi, "but you won't get me!" she then struck at Sora, again and again, with him barely able to block her.

"Why isn't Sora fighting back?" Tara asked, "at least to disarm her so she doesn't hurt him or herself."

"He can't do it," said an astonished Riku, "he can't bring himself to hurt Kairi."

"That's just plain moronic!" snapped Ashley. "Damn it, Sora! Fight back! We can heal Kairi later!"

"If you won't do it, Sora," said Jessie as she pulled out her wand, "then I will!" She then pointed her wand at Kairi's Keyblade, _"Expelliarmus!"_

With a flash of red light, Kairi's Keyblade shot out of her hands. It flipped in midair, arcing across the corridor and landing on the small gold charm necklace that Tara had. There was a sudden pulse of white magic and the gold object began to crackle with orange and yellow energy.

"What the…?" a confused Jessie asked.

The crackling then expanded and a red, orange and yellow rift opened up in the hallway, just as Kairi's Keyblade vanished.

"Fascinating," said Ashley as she pulled out a small device and used it to scan the portal.

Yet as her Keyblade returned to her hand, Kairi saw the rift as a path leading to safety. "You things won't get me!" she shouted and she ran into the rift. It shimmered slightly when she went through, the edges of the rift fraying as the opening began to shrink.

"Kairi!" shouted Sora as he ran after her, running towards the rift, with Riku and the other Keyblade Wielders not far behind.

"Wait!" shouted Ashley as she read the data she collected, "that rift isn't stable! And it's closing up!"

But her words went unheard as Sora ran into the rift. This caused it to shrink even faster. Riku and Tess ran in, followed by Malcolm, whom dove into the rapidly shrinking opening. Aiden also tried to dive through, but the rift closed up completely before he made contact. He fell through the air and landed on his face hard on the floor.

"Oh, gods-damn it!" shouted Aiden as he rolled onto his back.

"What the frak just happened?!" Max demanded as he, Jill, Andrew, Professor McGonagall and Harry ran up to them.

"Kairi was messed up in the head," said Roxas in a dazed tone as he and an equally stunned Naminé looked at the spot where the rift was, "some kind of horrible nightmare that made her see us as monsters."

"And then her Keyblade hit this thing," said Naminé as she pointed to the gold charm necklace, "and it opened the rift."

"My Time Turner!" shouted Tara as she picked up the necklace, revealing the charm to be in the shape of an hourglass.

"Your what?" Aiden asked.

"It's a rare and potentially dangerous magical item," said Professor McGonagall.

"It allows the user to go back in time," said Harry, "one turn of the hourglass equals one hour."

"It's how a lot of us students with large workloads get enough time to do all our classes and homework," said Tara as she examined the hourglass charm, "it's not broken, but how did it open that rift?"

"And what was the rift?" Andrew asked in a slightly nervous tone, "I had a bad experience with a rift once."

"We don't know," said J.D., "Sora, Kairi and the others, they could be anywhere now."

"And anytime," said Ashley as she looked up from her device, "that rift was putting out a lot of temporal energy. Our friends could be not only in another universe, but in another time altogether; the past, the future, or even in no time at all."

Her words then left everyone in the corridor speechless.

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion…**

"Well, that was unexpected," said Dio Brando in a genuinely surprised tone.

"Not only has Kairi been driven practically insane," said Regina, "she's lost in time and space."

"As are Sora, Riku, Tess and the new kid," said Lady Tremaine, "which gives us a golden opportunity!"

"We should hit them now!" said Gaston, "go back and hit them now while they're not expecting it!"

"And deal with hundreds of adult witches and wizards?" Sephiroth asked, "as well as dozens of highly trained mutants? It's your head if you want to lose it."

"To attack Hogwarts now would be an even further waste of time and resources," said Xehanort.

"Agreed," said Maleficent, "instead, I say we continue Sora's torment," she then used a spell to levitate the remote for The Interocitor to Xehanort, "use your machine to find them, wherever they are! Sora's road to hell has only just begun!"

"Indeed it has," said Xehanort.

Maleficent then noticed that Jokip was tugging at her skirt.

"Is that all you need of me?" the dream demon asked, "can I go now?"

"You've performed most satisfactory," said Maleficent, she then glared at Regina, Lady Tremaine and Gaston, "unlike others here," she then looked down at Jokip and smiled, "yes, you may go."

"About time," yawned Jokip. He then closed his eyes and fell back snoring, falling into a portal back to his bed in hell.

"Well, that was a fitting distraction," said Insano, "now, I'd better get to work on that translation."

"I told you to forget about it!" snapped Xehanort, "I want nothing to do with Zangyak!"

"But it was on my device that the message was received," said Maleficent, "you may not want anything to do with Zangyak, but I am intrigued," she looked at Insano, "carry out the translation at once!"

"Oh yes, I'll translate it," said Insano, grinning madly, "I will translate it," he then raised his finger triumphantly, "with SCIENCE!" he then giggled like the lunatic he was.

"That should keep him occupied for a while," said Maleficent to herself, just as her raven landed on her shoulder, "as for Sora, his road to hell is only just beginning, my pet, it is only just beginning."

"Don't you think it's weird that you talk to birds?" Dio Brando asked.

"He certainly is better company that you are," said Maleficent.

"Well, that sucks," said Dio Brando.

**The end of chapter 10**

_It's not over yet folks, so stay tuned!_


	11. Epilog: Worlds Apart & Together

_Last time found our heroes realizing that in order to protect the world, they had to forget their memories of The Genesis and Armageddon Spells. They had the memories removed and locked away with a renewed Sign of the Sacred Heart seal. With everything alright again, an impromptu feast was thrown in celebration, not only because the enemy had been defeated, but also to celebrate the engagement of Violet and Shawn, and also Professor McGonagall's unbirthday._

_Yet the times of joy took a turn for the worse when Maleficent had a cursed nightmare sent to Kairi. She now saw Sora as a horrible monster while Riku and the others were zombies. Terrified beyond reason, Kairi attacked Sora and in a one in a million twist of fate, accidentally created a rift in time and space which she ran into. Sora, Malcolm, Riku and Tess chased after her, leaving Aiden, Roxas and Naminé behind in Hogwarts, unaware of where or when their friends had gotten to. 'Nuff said, on with the show!_

**Epilog: Worlds Apart & Together**

…**Radiant Garden…**

"They should have called by now," said King Mickey as he anxiously paced back and forth in Ansem's Study. Currently there, watching The King wear a ditch in the carpet was Queen Minnie, Ansem, Donald, Goofy, Yuffie and Aerith. "Sora and they others, they should have at least sent word that they arrived safe and sound."

"There's no sense in getting yourself worked up into a fit, my friend," said Ansem.

"They're probably just enjoying themselves at Hogwarts so much," said Queen Minnie, while Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement, "and if I'm right, it's a Sunday on that world now. I'm sure tomorrow they'll send word."

"I just wish I knew they were alright," said King Mickey, "I also wish I knew what the enemy was up to. It's been too quiet since that mess with The Puppeteer. Maleficent and Xehanort are up to something, I just know it."

"They could have launched a devastating attack the moment Sora and his friends left," said Ansem, "and yet they've done nothing. Either they're biding their time, waiting for the right moment to strike, or they're occupied with something else."

"We can only move forward with our plans," said Queen Minnie, "and hope that nothing ruins this big meeting we're going to have."

"You sure all the invitations were sent out?" King Mickey asked.

"All of them," said Donald.

"And the preparations for the meeting hall are underway?" The King asked.

"Leon's looking into it right now," said Goofy, "and Quisitis is making sure everything's gonna be all safe and secure when everyone gets here."

"And I should have my planetary shield working by the time our guests arrive," said Ansem, "so try to relax, my friend, things are going well."

Just then King Mickey took something out of his pocket, something that turned out to be a small blue crystal that pulsed with a soft blue light. He then smiled, "things just got even better. Pete and his family arrived at their destination."

"Any chance you can tell us what all the big mysterious mission you sent them on is all about?" Yuffie asked.

"I sent them to Zumakalis," said King Mickey, "they're going to convince The New Zumakali to join us and fight Xehanort and Maleficent."

"A diplomatic mission?" Aerith asked.

"A very important one," said King Mickey.

* * *

**…New Zumakalis…**

We see Pete shaking hands with Reddik, while Rakel was talking with Peg. P.J. and Pistol were marveling at all the new crystalline buildings that were replacing the dark city around The Castle That Never Was, while Chainsaw was scampering about.

* * *

**…Radiant Garden…Ansem's Study…**

"But it's more than that, isn't it?" Yuffie asked.

"It is," said The King, "and I can't talk about it, I'm sorry, but I just can't. If Xehanort and Maleficent ever finds out what's going on, they'll tear New Zumakalis apart to stop it."

"Can't you give us a hint?" Aerith asked.

"Not a clue," said King Mickey, "but trust me, guys, this is going to throw a huge curveball in the eyes of Xehanort and Maleficent."

"I have no doubt that it will be something they'll never forget," said Ansem, "assuming that the rest of the overall plan goes well."

"It all depends on how many of our friends across the worlds can come to the meeting," said The King, "and how long Sora and the others are away," he then frowned, "but I can't help but feel that something bad has happened."

"Whatever's happened to them," said Queen Minnie, "you can't interfere. If you come rushing to help them every time you have a bad feeling, they'll come to depend on you and not get anywhere in their training."

"A Keyblade Wielder training for The Mark of Mastery has to learn how to stand without outside assistance," said Ansem, "there comes a time when a student surpasses the teacher."

"This could be their chance to be better than you, your majesty," said Goofy, whom then gulped nervously, "uh…no offense."

"None taken, pal," said King Mickey.

"Ah, Sora and the others are fine," said Donald, "we've got our own problems."

"Like figuring out how to satisfy the appetites of the various heroes and Princesses of Heart," said Yuffie, "seriously, we'll be dealing with about a dozen or so different cultures."

"As long as each of them has a say in this meeting," said King Mickey, "I'll be satisfied."

* * *

**…Wonderland…**

"No," said The Queen of Hearts as she and Alice played pink flamingo croquet, with Alice's ball being a green hedgehog and her opponent's being red, "no, no, no, you're still doing it wrong."

"With all due respect, your majesty," said Alice as she curtsied respectfully, "but what am I doing wrong?" Indeed, she had been playing fairly well, making sure that she remained one point behind The Queen of Hearts, just to keep the game interesting.

"You're putting too little motion into your hips," said The Queen of Hearts as she indicated her voluminous hips, "and you've got to follow through with your stroke." She then made a practice stroke with her flamingo mallet, her movements highly exaggerated. "Like that."

Alice looked at the various Card Soldiers acting as hoops in the game. One of them nodded his head franticly, while a second gave a look to Alice that said not to argue, while a third ran his finger across his throat, miming a decapitation.

Remembering her earlier adventures in Wonderland, Alice knew it was best not to draw out the ire of The Queen of Hearts, least she was eager to lose her head. She then readied her next stroke and mimicked the exaggerated movements of The Queen of Hearts, hitting her hedgehog ball but sending it far away from the target peg.

"Now that's more like it!" said The Queen of Hearts happily.

"Of course, your majesty," said Alice.

Just then The White Rabbit hopped over, carrying a sealed scroll on a silver tray in one hand, "My Queen," he said as he bowed, "forgive me for interrupting the game, but I have a message for Alice."

"For me?" Alice asked as The White Rabbit handed her the scroll. She then saw that the seal that of King Mickey. She then broke the seal and read the scroll, her eyes widening in surprise, "goodness!" she said, "I…had no idea things had gotten to this point."

"Don't keep us in suspense, child!" said The Queen of Hearts, "what is it?"

Alice then blinked, then pocketed the scroll, "I'm sorry, your majesty, but I must forfeit the game. And I have to leave."

"Leave?" The Queen of Hearts asked, "but you cannot leave! Not now, not when I've had the most fun playing croquet in a long time."

"I truly am sorry, your majesty," said Alice, "but my friends need me. I don't know when I'll come back, but I have to go now." She then handed her flamingo to an attending Card Soldier and hurried for a Save Point where she could take a portal off world.

"What is it?" The White Rabbit asked as he followed her, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I hope," said Alice, "but if it is as serious as I think, then we all may be in a lot of trouble, even more than the norm for Wonderland."

* * *

**…The Land of Dragons…**

Mulan rolled up the scroll she had just read and went inside her family home, retrieving her sword.

"Where're you going now, girlfriend?" Mushu asked.

"Back to Radiant Garden," said Mulan, "trouble is coming and I've got to help. Of course, you're coming with me."

"Naturally," said Mushu as he leapt onto Mulan's shoulder, "but what about pretty boy Shang?"

"Oh," said a slightly confused Mulan, "I almost forgot about Shang. Well, we won't be gone that long. I mean, what's the worst that can happen?"

"Girl, a lot of people wound up in deep water by saying that," said Mushu.

* * *

**…Deep Jungle…**

"How long will you be gone?" Jane asked Tarzan as they walked through the jungle.

"I don't know," said Tarzan, "as little as I can get away with. This world is where I belong, in the forest, with the gorillas," he then stopped and looked at Jane, "and with you."

"Then why can't I go with you?" Jane asked, "if you're only going for a few days, then I see no reason why I cannot come along."

"But it's not safe out there," said Tarzan, "it's a completely different world with completely different dangers," he then glared up at a nearby tree, where one of The Children of Sabor was perched on a branch, glaring down at the two humans. Tarzan gave a low, menacing grunt that meant, in the language of the gorillas, 'go away!'

The leopard yowled in protest, but leapt off of the branch to another tree.

"Here, we know what to expect," said Tarzan.

"I know they'll be unknowns," said Jane, "but that's what makes things more interesting. I am a scientist, after all."

"Alright," said Tarzan, "as soon as it can be arranged, we'll both go."

* * *

**…Atlantica…**

"How are we going to get to Radiant Garden?" Melody asked as she followed Ariel and Eric along the beach, with Sebastian riding on Melody's shoulder.

"'We,' aren't going," said Ariel, "you've got studying to do. Your father and I are going to the meeting."

"Oh, come on, mom!" Melody whined, "I'm almost fifteen!"

"Age doesn't have anything to do with it," said Eric, "you're not going."

"Just listen to your mother and father for once, child!" said Sebastian, "if only for grandfather's sake."

"Grandpa Triton's not going to die if we all go on a vacation," said Melody.

"This isn't a vacation, Melody," said Ariel, "we're all getting together to figure out how to keep the realms safe."

"All the more reason for me to go," said Melody, "I can help, I know I can. I just need a chance to prove it."

"But…" said Eric, Ariel and Sebastian.

"I'm coming with you and that's final!" said melody in an insisting tone as she placed Sebastian onto Ariel's shoulder, "you can ground me, lock me in my room or the dungeons even, I'll still find a way. Now, if you'll all excuse me, I've got some packing to do." With that she ran up the beach back to the castle.

"Teenagers," said Sebastian in an annoyed tone, "they think they know everything."

"She's definitely your daughter," said Eric to Ariel, "she's got your stubbornness."

"She's as much your daughter as mine," said Ariel, "I'm not the one who taught her how to pick a lock."

"Well, look on the bright side," said Sebastian, "if she's with you, you'll be able to keep an eye on her."

"Good point, Sebastian," said a smiling Ariel, "and you can help keep her out of trouble."

"Of course I will," said Sebastian. He then did a double take and looked at Ariel with surprised eyes, "what did you say!?"

"Well, you're coming with us, of course," said Ariel, "Flounder's busy with his family, Scuttle's off doing who knows what. Besides, it wouldn't be an adventure without you."

"Oh no!" moaned Sebastian, "I'm getting too old for dis!"

* * *

**…Olympus Coliseum…**

"Oh, come on!" snapped Phil as he paced irately back and fourth, "you call that arm wrestling!?"

"I'd like to see you do this, Phil!" said Hercules in a strained tone as he struggled to overpower a three-headed Cyclopes, whom had arrived at the coliseum to challenge the son of Zeus. The tri-headed giant and Hercules were both giving it their all but were locked in a stalemate.

"You took down The Titans, for crying out loud!" snapped Phil, "you outfought Hates! And now you can't even beat a triclopse? Are you sick or something?"

"Do demigods ever get sick?" Meg asked as she and Pegasus sat nearby, watching the stalemate.

"Good question," said Phil, "well, have you been getting enough sleep, kid? How's your eating habits?"

Just then a scroll sealed with The King's embalm appeared in front of Meg. She broke the seal, unrolled and read it, "hey, wonder boy? You've been invited to this big meeting with a lot of Sora's friends!"

"What?" Hercules asked, "hang on a second!" he then unleashed a burst of energy that overpowered the triclopse and pinned its arm. The three-headed monster shouted in range and stomped out of the arena.

"Well, he's certainly a sore loser," said Meg as she handed the scroll to Hercules.

"I never asked if he was a good sport," said Hercules. He then red the scroll, "Phil, we're going on a road trip."

"I love road trips!" said Phil, "they're perfect for training. There's four essential things you need to pack for road trips; food, water, clean clothes, a map and a towel."

"A towel?" Meg asked.

"Never leave home without one," said Phil.

* * *

**…Port Royal…**

"And how long are you going to be gone this time, Captain?" Mr. Gibbs asked as Captain Jack Sparrow packed a russack full of rum bottles.

"As long as I'm needed, Mr. Gibbs," said Jack, "a friend of a friend of Sora's asked for me help, so it would be downright rude and uncouth for a pirate of my caliber to ignore this elegant invitation to this grand gathering. Not to mention it would be a grand opportunity to search for new sources of plunder."

"Naturally, Captain," said Mr. Gibbs, "just so long as you remember to come back. The crew and I won't be there to…assist you…not like last time."

"Please, Mr. Gibbs, that time in Calcutta wasn't anyone's fault," said Jack Sparrow.

"What about the time in Trinidad?" Mr. Gibbs asked, "and then there was that time in Barbados, Bermuda and I'll never forget the time in Nassau."

"Your point, Mr. Gibbs?" Jack asked as he double checked that his magic compass was safe in his pocket.

At that Gibbs sighed, "none, Captain. Just be careful."

"I always try, Mr. Gibbs," said Jack after taking a swig of rum, "I always try."

* * *

**…Halloween Town…**

"You really have to go, Jack?" Sally asked.

"I have to," said Jack Skellington, "Sora's friends need me. He's helped save our world twice. I owe him so much."

"But Jack!" exclaimed The Mayor, his sad face on front, "you can't leave Halloween Town! You just can't!"

"I can if I want to," said Jack, "and I won't be gone long. Halloween isn't going to fade away with me, and the two will be just fine without me for a few days."

Just then they all heard a small explosion coming from Dr. Finkelstein's lab. Jack, Sally and The Mayor looked and saw Lock, Schlock and Barrel, giggling mischievously as they ran from the laboratory, while smoke poured from the windows.

Just then Dr. Finkelstein poked his head out of one of the windows, waving his fist angrily at the trio of troublemakers, "You miserable miscreants! If I ever catch you in my lab again, I'll dice you up into lab rat food!"

"Oh the other hand," said Jack, "strange things do happen, so I'll be back as quick as I can."

"Oh, be careful, Jack," said Sally in a worried tone.

"I will, Sally," said Jack as he hugged Sally, "I will."

* * *

**…The Enchanted Domain…**

"I knew it was too good to be true," said Aurora after reading the message from King Mickey.

"I should have made sure," said Phillip, "when she was defeated before, I should have made sure she was gone for good then. Now she's back and doing who knows what horrific things to the worlds? And that Xehanort is an equal monster."

"It's not right, Phillip," said Aurora, "why can't these evil people just leave the good alone?"

"I don't know," said Phillip, "but all we can do is fight as hard as we can, to destroy the evil and protect the good."

"I know," said Aurora, "I just wish so many people didn't have to be put at risk. I guess that's why we're going to this meeting, to try to solve this crisis so that no one else has to suffer the horrors of the darkness."

"If anyone can convince the others to do the right thing, it's you," said Phillip.

"They'll want to hear your opinion too, you know," said Aurora as she smiled.

"What can I say?" Phillip asked, "I'm a warrior, a fighter, you're the diplomat."

"They'll still want a warrior's opinion," said Aurora. With that the two of them embraced, "whatever's going to happen, I'm with you, always."

"Likewise," said Phillip. With that they kissed.

* * *

**…Agrabah…**

"How long will you be gone?" Jasmine asked Aladdin.

"I don't know," said Aladdin, "but if Sora's friends asked for my help, then I've got to go."

"And keep an eye for any treasure maps while you're there," said Iago.

"He won't have time for that," said Genie, "my main man Al's going to be talking, talking and more talking, kinda boring actually, but, life's not all peaches and cream," As if to emphasize it, he poofed up a bowl of peaches and cream.

* * *

**…The Castle of Dreams…**

Cinderella sat in a large stuffed chair in the castle library and sighed in a sad tone. She had read the message about the meeting, but almost immediately afterwards, she received another letter, this one from the _S.S. St. Primrose_ hospital starship, saying that her wicked stepmother, Lady Tremaine, had gone missing.

She knew that it wasn't a coincidence, her stepmother vanishing, coinciding with all the rumors of trouble stirring in the realms.

Cinderella stood up and rang for a servant to begin preparations for her journey to Radiant Garden for the meeting. She wished that Robert, her husband, wasn't out touring the kingdom. But she was willing and able to do it alone. She just wished her mice friends would understand that she had to leave them behind.

* * *

**…Dwarf Woodlands…**

Snow White began packing a satchel, the invitation scroll to the meeting sat on a nearby table. The farest of them all knew that trouble was coming already, for just before the invitation arrived, she received a letter from _St. Primrose_, telling her that her wicked stepmother, Regina, the former evil queen, had disappeared.

Snow knew that even though her former tormenter had been rendered old, crippled and half mad, the wicked woman was still capable of great evil. And now that there were rumors of unrest throughout the worlds, along with the meeting between all the heroes and princesses of heart. She knew that she had to go.

On her bed was a sealed letter to The Prince, while another sealed letter was prepared to be sent to The Seven Dwarves after she had left. Snow knew that if her friends and loved ones heard about the meeting, they'd want to come with her. But she preferred to handle this herself without getting anyone else involved. Besides, it would only be for a few days, so what was the worst that could happen?

* * *

**…Dream Valley…**

"I'll be fine, mom!" said Sara to Megan as they two of them sat on the porch of Paradise Estates, looking out at all the Little Ponies playing in the meadows, "it's just a meeting, that's all. There's going to be like a hundred or so heroes there or something. Besides, Ranma and the others are coming with me."

"I know they'll keep you safe," said Megan, "I'm just worried that you're going to get in over your head. You nearly died not too long ago and I'm afraid that your luck will run out."

"Luck is only part of it, mom," said Sara, "you think I'm happy about this meeting? I'm going to end up missing that big celebration in Canterlot. It's not every day that a new Alicorn Princess is crowned."

"You'd think you would have realized that in this world, anything can happen," said Megan, "alright, I won't try and stop you from going. Just promise me that you'll be careful and stay safe."

"I'll be extra careful," said Sara as she hugged Megan. She then clutched the heart-shaped locket that contained The Rainbow of Light, "I just hope that this meeting will turn out something that'll keep everyone else safe."

* * *

**…Metroville…**

The one thing worse for a Super than facing a criminal mastermind or a super villain, was enduring the sheer tediousness of living a secret identity. And for Violet Parr, alias Shielda, daughter of Mr. Incredible and Elastawoman, enduring a secret identity after fully embracing her powers was almost more than she could bare.

What made things worse was that almost immediately after she and her fellow supers returned from The Realms of Light, crime in Metroville dropped to an all time low. Months of only petty crimes and a lack of super villain activity would seem like the perfect vacation for an experienced super hero.

But for Violet, whom was not only a super but also a Princess of Heart, she found the lack of excitement was nerve grinding. School had become a daily endurance test of her will, each class seeming to drag on and on and on, hour by hour, minute by minute, second by second, almost to the point that the clock seemed to stop.

As she got off the school buss and walked up to her house, Violet let out a sigh of relief, glad that another daily grind was over, except for homework, but that wasn't so bad as actual school.

She unlocked the door and went in. It was quiet inside the house as she headed to her room and dumped her book bag on the floor. Her brother Dash, alias Speed Star, was still at his school and had track practice afterwards, while her parents were out and were planning on brining dinner in, so Violet had the afternoon to herself.

Walked to the living room and slumped onto the couch, picking up the TV remote and began flipping channels, while at the same time keeping an eye and an ear on the family police scanner, hoping that a sudden robbery or a hostage situation, anything, would happen, anything that would give her an excuse to don her costume and mask, jump on her new motorcycle she begged her parents for her birthday, and race to the scene of the crime.

But instead of a crime, something else happened that ended the boredom. A scroll sealed with the mark of King Mickey appeared in front of her. Puzzled, Violet opened the scroll and read it. Her eyes widened in surprise and delight as her sense of boredom vanished completely.

* * *

**…Jordon College, Oxford…**

"It's happening again, Pan," said Lyra Silvertongue as she and her Pine Martin daemon, Pantalaimon, sat under a tree, reading the invitation scroll, "we've got to go back to The Realms of Light."

"Hopefully we won't be at risk of being used to end all of existence again," said Pan as the two of them stood up.

"I don't think it'll be that way this time," said Lyra, "but if it's anything like Gideon and his horrible demons, then we'll be ready."

"Do you think we'll run into Will and Kirjava again?" Pan asked.

"Part of me hopes so," said Lyra, "deep in my heart, I want to hold and touch Will and never let go. Things haven't been right with my boyfriend ever since Radiant Garden. I wish we could be together, but it wouldn't last long. One of us would end up dieing in ten years."

"It's not fair," said Pan, "I know we resigned ourselves to it when we first parted with Will and Kirjava, but after seeing them again, it's not right that we have to be apart, it's just not right. There has to be a way, there just has to be. Have you tried writing to Serafina Pekkala again?"

"She's been researching all the witch lore she could find," said Lyra, "in every clan in the world. I've also been reading the latest published work in experimental theology. But there's nothing."

Lyra sighed, "there's nothing we can do about it, Pan. But right now we can make a difference and help our friends in the Realms of Light."

"Maybe Sora and the others will be there," said Pan.

"It'd be wonderful if we could see them again," said Lyra as she pulled out from her purse The Alethiometer. "And if we have to fight, we will. We'll fight anyone who threatens the happiness of others."

* * *

**…Another Oxford…**

"Do you think Lyra and Pan will be there?" Kirjava asked as she and Will hurried across the streets of the city.

"I don't know," said Will, "I hope so. Part of me wishes that we had never said goodbye in the first place. But then I remember that even if we had stayed together, it wouldn't have been for long."

"We can't remain outside our home dimension for more than ten years without dieing," said Kirjava, "it's horrible that we have to be apart. There's got to be a way we can be together."

"What do you think Mary Malone has been doing?" Will asked, "she knows that deep down, I'm unhappy with my girlfriend, that I miss Lyra with all my heart. She's trying to find a way so that Lyra and I can be together, but so far, no luck."

At that Will sighed, "but we can't let that distract us. Our friends in The Realms of Light need us. If there's going to be a fight, we'll be ready for it."

"You got that right," said Kirjava.

* * *

**…Forks…**

"No!" exclaimed Bella as she angrily paced back and forth in the Cullen family living room, the invitation scroll in her hands, "absolutely not! There's no way you are going off on another adventure like that, Renesme Carlie Cullen!"

"But mama!" exclaimed Nessie, "I've to go! Everyone who was at the battle and many more are going!"

"I'll be with her the whole time, Bella," said Jacob, "I swear she'll be safe."

"Jacob, please stay out of this," said an annoyed Bella, "you're not helping."

"I am helping, Bella," said an annoyed Jacob, "I'm helping you understand that Nessie isn't a little kid anymore. She's almost six."

"I'll be six in four weeks, mama," said Nessie, "on the outside, I'm almost sixteen."

"You're certainly acting like your actual age," said Bella.

"Oh come on, Bells," said Emmet as he, Rosalie, Jasper and Alice, sat nearby, "let Nessie go."

"You're just being possessive," said Alice, "and smothering."

"The bird has to leave the nest sometime," said Jasper.

"I have to do this, mama," said Nessie, "for Sora and the others."

"Those kids have been doing a lot to keep reality safe," said Rosalie, "it's time they had someone do something for them."

"Edward, say something!" said Bella as she glared at her immortal husband.

"What can I say, Bella?" Edward asked, "our daughter and future son-in-law have made up their minds and nothing any of us can saw will make them relent."

"I don't want this to divide us, mama," said Nessie, "but I have to do this. Remember when we confronted The Volturi? You made arrangements for me and Jacob to get away and be safe if you couldn't convince Aro and the others. You told me that I would have to leave. It nearly broke my heard when you said that I would have to go away, but I understood. You, papa and everyone else was ready to die for me, I didn't like that either but I understood. I'm asking you now to understand that this is something I have to do.

"Do you think I like being separated from you? Well, it doesn't. Part of me never wants to be more than a hundred miles away from you, but the rest of me knows that I'm not a child anymore, that soon I'll be an adult with my own life. I'm also a Princess of Heart, and that alone has a load of unfair responsibilities that I'm willing to shoulder, just as Jacob is willing to shoulder it with me."

"What can I say?" Jacob asked, "Nessie and I, we're stuck with each other."

Bella then looked at Nessie with a range of emotions. In the blink of an eye, she was angry, frightened, depressed and happy. She then smiled at Nessie, "good grief, when did you grow up so much?"

"I don't know," said Nessie, "I guess sometime while traveling with Hayner and the others. I hope they're okay."

* * *

**…Twilight Town…**

"Do you think Nessie's coming to the meeting?" Hayner asked as he, Pence and Olette, helped Vivi get their Gummy Ship, The Voyaging Light, ready to go back into space.

"I hope so," said Olette.

"Why do you think we've been invited to this meeting?" Pence asked, "hand me those pliers, would you?"

"Maybe they think we're real heroes," said Hayner as he handed Pence a set of pliers, "as if we really needed to prove it."

"If we can help keep the good safe from the darkness," said Olette, "we're definitely heroes. I just hope that whatever is decided at the meeting, it'll make a big enough difference."

"Okay," said Vivi as he called from the ship cockpit, "I'm gonna start up the engine, so stand back!"

"Good luck!" shouted Hayer as he, Pence and Olette, stood away from the ship. They heard the engine turn over and the ship hummed with power.

"Alright!" exclaimed Pence, while Hayner and Olette high-fived.

But then they heard the sound of an engine backfiring as black smoke poured from the engine compartment.

"Now what?" Pence asked as Vivi turned the ship off.

"It's that damn primary EPS manifold!" shouted Olette, "it keeps conking out! We're never going to get to the meeting at this rate!"

"We've got to try," said Hayner, "our friends are out there and they need us. We've got to get to Radiant Garden, we've just got to."

"We won't get there just standing here all day," said Pence, "let's fix this ship!"

* * *

**…Someplace Else…**

Kairi fell through the rift and emerged on another world, slamming her forehead onto a metal object and was knocked completely out cold. When reason began to return to her, she opened her eyes and immediately closed them as a sharp spike of pain ran through her head. She rolled onto her back, feeling a solid floor beneath her. She then heard voices muttering around her, voices that sounded like they were mostly girls with a handful of boys.

"What?" Kairi asked in a dazed tone, "what are you saying?"

She then heard more voices muttering, though she thought she heard something that sounded like, "go get the Headmistress."

"Am I still at Hogwarts?" Kairi asked.

"What's Hogwarts?" one of the girls around Kairi asked. The girl's voice was full of warmth and compassion.

Kairi tired to open her eyes again, barely managing to keep them open more than a slit. She vaguely saw a girl about her age or so, with long black hair with white highlights, or was it white hair with black highlights? The girl wore a black and green mini-dress and had blue, skull-like earrings. Her left eye was green while the right was blue. On opposite sides of her neck were items that seemed like bolts. Kairi opened her eyes a bit more and was confused to see that the girl's skin was green, while here and there were stitches.

"It's okay," said the girl as she smiled warmly at Kairi, "you hit your head but you're going to be alright."

"I don't feel alright," said Kairi in a groggy tone, the pain in her head increasing in intensity, while her eyes began to close again, threatening to slip into unconsciousness again, "who…what are you?"

"A friend," said the green-skinned girl, "My name's Frankie Stein."

"Kairi," and with that, she passed out again, the last thing she saw was the green-skinned girl, Frankie Stein, giving her a reassuring smile.

* * *

**…Someplace Else…**

Sora fell through the rift, landing hard on a green lawn. He tried to get up, only to have Riku fall on him, followed by Tess and Malcolm, with the rift closing up after them.

"Worst world-crossing ever," groaned Tess as she, Malcolm, Riku and Sora, got off of each other and stood up.

"I hate to see how bad it can really be," said Malcolm.

"Why are we just standing around here for?!" Sora asked anxiously, "we've got to find Kairi!"

"We don't even know where we are, Sora," said Riku, "getting upset isn't going to help us find her."

"Nor is it gonna get us warm," said a slightly uncomfortable Malcolm, "I mean, it's not really chilly, but still."

"It's either late fall or early winter," said Riku as he looked around at the nearby trees, seeing that they were either completely bare or had a handful of leaves left on them.

"I think I might know where we are," said Tess in a slightly distant tone as she looked at a nearby city skyline, "I've seen those buildings before online. I think…we are in New York City."

"New York City?" Riku asked.

"There's The Empire State Building and The Chrysler Building," said Tess, "I've seen enough pictures of them to know them anywhere. I think we're somewhere in Central Park."

"Manhattan," said Riku as he looked up at the partly cloudy sky above. Judging from the position of the sun, it was about 11:00 in the morning.

"Okay," said Sora, "we know where we are, so let's go find Kairi."

Just then they all heard the sound of dozens of people running towards them. Within seconds, Sora, Riku, Tess and Malcolm found themselves surrounded by nearly fifty men and women, all of them wearing the tan jackets and badge of The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense.

"Oh, thank goodness," said Tess, "friends."

Without warning, the fifty Bureau operatives all pulled out high-powered weapons and aimed them at the four Keyblade Wielders.

"Wait, we're not your enemies!" said Riku as he held up his hands, "don't shoot!"

"We're not demons or monsters!" said Sora, "we're human."

"Well, mostly human," said Malcolm in a modest tone.

"What are you talking about?" Tess asked.

"Well," said Malcolm, "one of my many times great-grandmothers was a dryad."

"I don't see how that helps us," said Riku.

Just then some of the Bureau operatives stood to the side, opening a path for a familiar face to approach Sora and the others.

"Max!" said Sora happily, "Max Kildare, am I glad to see you."

"I don't think he's glad to see us," said Tess.

Indeed, the man approaching them was Max Kildare, albeit a few years younger. This version of Max Kildare glared at Sora and the others.

"I don't know who you are or where you came from, kiddo," said Max, "but if you're here to cause trouble, you've got another thing coming!" He then drew his revolver, cocked and aimed it at Sora, while the other Meta Humans cocked their weapons as well.

"Well, here's a fine mess we're in," said Malcolm as he, Riku, Tess and Sora raised their hands in surrender.

_**To be continued in Volume 5.**_

_And that's it for this volume! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Incase you haven't figured it out, our heroes have arrived on a parallel Earth that happens to be where Monster High takes place._

_But what's going to happen next? Will Sora, Riku, Tess and Malcolm escape from the alternate Bureau agents? Will Kairi be forever scarred in mind and heart, forever terrified of Sora and her friends? And what of Aiden and the others? And what of everyone else?_

_You'll just have to wait until the next story to find out, so stay tune for the next thrilling installment of Path Of The Keyblade Master._

**Volume 5: Monsters And Meta Humans**

_See you then!_


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